Merging .Net 1.1 and 2.0 code, or abusing the type system...
time to read 7 min | 1357 words

If you've a code that you want to use for .Net 1.1, but still use features from .Net 2.0 (because they are such fun), you usually end with a bunch of #ifdef all over the place, or you create a second class and delegate functionality. It occured to me that C# allows a funky way to combine this functionality without too much bother.

The idea is only applicable where you've a class that you want to be generic in .Net 2.0, and use System.Object on 1.1, this is the case in quite a bit of scenarios, actually. Here is the code:

#if !dotNet2

using T = System.Object;

#endif

 

public class FunkyClass

#if dotNet2    

    <T>

#endif

{

    T _item;

 

    public T Item

    {

        get { return _item; }

        set { _item = value; }

    }

 

    public FunkyClass(T item)

    {

        this._item = item;

    }  

}

This relies on a aliasing the System.Object type to T, so your code can refer to T, and it will mean either System.Object ( in 1.1 ) or the generic type ( in 2.0 ).

 

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