Please help me understand this stuff. I am missing something important... If anyone knows of a good reference/description of the type system, I'd really appreciate a link.
Here is my problem: I have a system where I have a base class (called Profile) that knows how to store itself in the database. It stores its data in the database and its Assembly Qualified Type Name. At runtime I am reading the Assembly Qualified Type Name and using Activator.CreateInstance to create the object in memory. I use this system because derived types may not be located in an assembly that I have access to at compile-time. This works fine except that I need to require a certain type of constructor to be available to know how to construct the objects (there are certain data requirements that necessitate the need for a certain style of constructor). So I would like to do one of two things (neither of which I can get to work yet): 1. Specify in my base class that a constructor style is required (like marking it abstract, but C# doesn't support this of course) .or. 2. Create objects of the Type of my base class and at runtime, up-cast them to the new type. The nature of these objects is that the base class holds data structures that actually hold all the data for derived classes so I don't need to worry so much about an up-casting needing more memory allocated (since in the usual case the derived class may be larger in memory than the base class). I like option #1 as it is a lot more clean, but I just hate the idea that I can only assert this at runtime. If I could get derived classes to get a compiler error or warning if they didn't implement the required constructor, I'd be all set. Ideas? Thanks, Shawn Wildermuth [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://adoguy.com http://shawnwildermuth.com "...for the programmer, as for the chef, the urgency of the patron may govern the scheduled completion of the task, but it cannot govern the actual completion. An omelette, promised in two minutes, may appear to be progressing nicely. But when it has not set in two minutes, the customer has two choices--wait or eat it raw. Software customers have had the same choices. The cook has another choice; he can turn up the heat. The result is often an omelette nothing can save--burned in one part, raw in another.... " - Brooks, The Mythical Man-Month. You can read messages from the DOTNET archive, unsubscribe from DOTNET, or subscribe to other DevelopMentor lists at http://discuss.develop.com.
