[Mono-dev] Distinction between generic type and instance type

[Rafael Teixeira]

I just think that if you would query such a thing as "list all classes with
a method that returns an integer", the generic class:

public class Doer<T> {

public T Do() {...}

}

... shouldn't be listed but this instanced version probably should:

public class DoOnInt : Doer<int> {}

Hope it helps,

Rafael "Monoman" Teixeira
---------------------------------------
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ...'"
Isaac Asimov
US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)


On Wed, Feb 6, 2013 at 1:28 PM, Stuart Golodetz <stuart at semmle.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> As a follow-up to my question about the way in which Mono handles generic
> types (see "Handling of generics by Mono compiler" on January 15), please
> do
> you know whether the distinction being made by Mono between a generic type
> and the instance type corresponding to it is only of relevance to the
> compiler, or does it have real implications for an application-level
> developer? (This relates to the comment Marek Safar made in the previous
> thread, namely: "Compiled generic types always exist at least as open
> (generic) types, usually TypeContainer(s) but can at the same time exist as
> InflatedTypeSpec too when accesses from within the type.")
>
> I'm working on a static analysis tool, and it would arguably be quite
> helpful to blur the distinction between the two for the purposes of writing
> queries over the source code (i.e. query writers shouldn't necessarily have
> to know about compiler internals), but I'm loath to make that change if
> there's a practical difference between the two that's relevant even outside
> the compiler.
>
> I realise it's a bit of a difficult question to answer without the full
> context, but any thoughts would be extremely welcome.
>
> Cheers,
> Stuart
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context:
> http://mono.1490590.n4.nabble.com/Distinction-between-generic-type-and-instance-type-tp4658491.html
> Sent from the Mono - Dev mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> _______________________________________________
> Mono-devel-list mailing list
> Mono-devel-list at lists.ximian.com
> http://lists.ximian.com/mailman/listinfo/mono-devel-list
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ximian.com/pipermail/mono-devel-list/attachments/20130206/807d8e3b/attachment.html>