CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#c#-4.0
Asim Zaidi
Asim Zaidi

Reputation: 28284

accessing object from another method c#

I have a method that returns an object:

private object myObjectMethod(){ 
    //...
    return myObject;
}

But in another method I want to retrieve this object:

private void myotherMethod(){   
    var x = myObjectMethod();
    // Now how would I access the properties of myObject?
}

Upvotes: 0

Views: 3298

Answers (4)

Adam Rackis
Adam Rackis

Reputation: 83358

The best way is to just return the actual type you're dealing with from the method

But if that's not an option, and you really are stuck with just object being returned from your method, you have a few options.

If you know the right type, casting would be the simplest way:

((ActualType)x).SomeProperty;

Or to test that the cast is correct:

string val;
if (x is ActualType)
    val = (x as ActualType).SomeProperty;

Or, if you know the property name, but not the type of x, then:

PropertyInfo pi = x.GetType().GetProperty("SomeProperty");
string somePropertyValue = (string)pi.GetValue(x, null);

Or, if you're using C# 4, you could use dynamic 

string somePropertyValue = ((dynamic)x).SomeProperty;

Just don't go crazy with dynamic. If you find yourself using dynamic excessively, there may be some deeper issues with your code.

Upvotes: 8

Brandon Buck
Brandon Buck

Reputation: 7181

You could use a generic version of your method:

public static T MyObjectMethod<T>()
{
    return (T)myObject;
}

And then:

var myObject = MyObjectMethod<MyObjectClass>();
myObject.Property;

Upvotes: 1

Piotr Zierhoffer
Piotr Zierhoffer

Reputation: 5139

You should change the return type of your method to the actual class you're interested in. And probably you'll need to change it's visibility to public.

You can also use reflection or casting

(obj as MyObject).Stuff;

Upvotes: 1

Heinzi
Heinzi

Reputation: 172220

Change

private object myObjectMethod(){ 
    ...
    return myObject;
}

to

private TypeOfMyObject myObjectMethod(){ 
    ...
    return myObject;
}

Upvotes: 5

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