CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#constructor
Garrett Biermann
Garrett Biermann

Reputation: 537

What's the meaning of this

What is the meaning of this following section on constructor initializers?

An instance constructor initializer cannot access the instance being created. Therefore it is a compile-time error to reference this in an argument expression of the constructor initializer, as is it a compile-time error for an argument expression to reference any instance member through a simple-name.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 93

Answers (1)

Frédéric Hamidi
Frédéric Hamidi

Reputation: 263047

This means the instance is still in the process of being created when the constructor initializer runs. Therefore, that initializer cannot access instance members, either through this or directly:

class Foo
{
    private int _bar;

    public Foo(int bar)
    {
        _bar = bar;
    }

    public Foo() : this(_bar)       // Illegal.
    {
    }

    public Foo() : this(this._bar)  // Also illegal.
    {
    }
}

This reasoning applies to both constructor initializers (this() and base()).

Upvotes: 8

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