Is it possible to pass a generic type T into an instance of a winform so T is usable throughout the form?
+7
A:
Yes, A Form is like any other class. You will have to modify the designer-generated code a little, and watch out that that does not get rolled back.
// TestForm.cs
public partial class TestForm<T> : Form
// TestForm.Designer.cs
partial class TestForm<T>
Henk Holterman
2010-04-09 15:21:13
Note that generic forms can't be displayed in the Form Designer, though their dscendants can.
wRAR
2010-04-09 15:27:11
@wrar, I was testing with VS2010 and that has no (obvious) problems with my TestForm. But I expect it to be a little feeble.
Henk Holterman
2010-04-09 15:29:35
I am in the process of testing it out and will let you know how it works.
Nathan
2010-04-09 15:41:20
A derived, concrete form won't be designable.
Hans Passant
2010-04-09 16:42:12
Neither will a Derived generic Form.
Henk Holterman
2010-04-09 16:48:15
+3
A:
As suggested, this can be done - but in many cases you'll find yourself fighting the framework etc. IMO it may be simpler to just pass a Type into the form (as a property, perhaps), and instances via an object property (or an interface / base-class if such applies).
You can use generics, but in many cases in this scenario it won't actually help you much, and the designer hates it.
Marc Gravell
2010-04-09 15:35:49
Marc, the VS2010 designer doesn't seem to have any problem with a Generic Form. It fails totally with Form-inheritance though.
Henk Holterman
2010-04-09 16:50:10