Extend Types like instances?

[Jon Slaughter]

Can one extend the type itself and not just an instance of the type?

So I have something, say, like

public static DateTime RawRead(this DateTime i, Stream s)
{
BinaryReader b = new BinaryReader(s) ;
i = DateTime.FromBi nary(b.ReadInt6 4());
return i;
}


But how I have to use it is

DateTime d = new DateTime();
d = d.RawRead(s);

I'd like to be able to do

DateTime d = DateTime.RawRea d(s);

or even

DateTime d = new DateTime();
d.RawRead(s);


In a sense I need something like

public static DateTime RawRead(this ref DateTime i, Stream s)
{
BinaryReader b = new BinaryReader(s) ;
i = DateTime.FromBi nary(b.ReadInt6 4());
}

But of course that doesn't work. (Or even a way to extend the type itself)

Ultimately its not that big a deal but its a little messy to have to use the
instance itself to call the method. (and for the fact that it creates two
objects since I first have to instantiate it then return a new one)

Thanks,
Jon

[Jon Slaughter]

Re: Extend Types like instances?

Also, is it possible to override an extension? (I doubt it but I'd like to
be able to override any extensions later on that I've created without having
the source)