Creating a method in C# (2.0)

[skipbr]

How can I create a method in C# that behaves like the String.ToString ()?

I know (or at least I think I do) need to extend or create a new class, but I don't know how to retrieve the object value before the .ToString().

Something like I used to do in ActionScripts a few years ago...

MovieClip.prototype.MyFunction(){
      trace (this.name);
}

Then I'd use just like... myClip.MyFuncti on();
Im trying to achieve the same result in C# (2.0) but haven't got any good results here.
It should looks like this:

public string Add1() {
     // method constructor here; 
}

The I could use it like

string aVar = "word";
string result = aVar.Add1(); // resulting "word1"

Any help is welcome, since I tried to google about it, but I dont know who exatcly this kind of method is called.

Ricardo

[SammyB]

How can I create a method in C# that behaves like the String.ToString ()?

I'm not sure if I understand what you want to do, so I'll restate the problem as I understood:
You have a class (I'll call it Toot). You want to override the ToString method of that class so that it provides some useful information. (in my code I'll return Toot from kkk, where kkk is the Name property of the class that created the Toot).

To test my code, create a Windows App with a label and a button. Double-click on the button and replace all of the code with:
[code=c]
using System;
using System.Collecti ons.Generic;
using System.Componen tModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows. Forms;
using System.Reflecti on;

namespace WindowsApplicat ion1
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeCompo nent();
}
private void button1_Click(o bject sender, EventArgs e)
{
Toot t = new Toot(this);
label1.Text = t.ToString();
}
}
public class Toot
{
private object mParent;
public Toot(object parent)
{
mParent = parent;
}
public override string ToString()
{
Type t = mParent.GetType ();
PropertyInfo pi = t.GetProperty(" Name");
if (pi != null)
return ("Toot from " + pi.GetValue(mPa rent, new object[] { }).ToString());
else
return ("Toot from unnamed source");
}
}
}
[/code]
Notice that I added System.Reflecti on and used it to see if the parent had a Name property. If you only want to display Toot's class variables, then you don't need any of my code. In your class you just type "Public override" and Intellisense does the rest. HTH --Sam

[skipbr]

I'm not sure if I understand what you want to do, so I'll restate the problem as I understood:
You have a class (I'll call it Toot). You want to override the ToString method of that class so that it provides some useful information. (in my code I'll return Toot from kkk, where kkk is the Name property of the class that created the Toot).

To test my code, create a Windows App with a label and a button. Double-click on the button and replace all of the code with:
[code..]
Notice that I added System.Reflecti on and used it to see if the parent had a Name property. If you only want to display Toot's class variables, then you don't need any of my code. In your class you just type "Public override" and Intellisense does the rest. HTH --Sam

I dont wanna to override the ToString method... it was just an example.

[Edit]
It should be something like

int a = 10;
string b = "test";

public MyMethod(){
   // get the object and add 1;
}

string output1 = a.MyMethod(); // 101
string output2 = b.MyMethod(); // test1

Can that be done?

Thanks SammyB for your help!

[jjvainav]

int a = 10;
string b = "test";
 
public MyMethod(){
   // get the object and add 1;
}
 
string output1 = a.MyMethod(); // 101
string output2 = b.MyMethod(); // test1

I am not sure if this will help, but based on the example above, you need to write it as:

int a = 10;
string b = "test";
 
public string MyMethod(object o){
   // get the object and add 1;
    return o.ToString() + "1";
}
 
string output1 = MyMethod(a); // 101
string output2 = MyMethod(b); // test1

[skipbr]

I am not sure if this will help, but based on the example above, you need to write it as:

int a = 10;
string b = "test";
 
public string MyMethod(object o){
   // get the object and add 1;
    return o.ToString() + "1";
}
 
string output1 = MyMethod(a); // 101
string output2 = MyMethod(b); // test1

Thanks for your reply jjvainav. But this is how I'm currently doing it.
I'm looking for something like this:

http://weblogs.asp.net/dwahlin/archive/2008/01/25/c-3-0-features-extension-methods.aspx

But for C# 2.0.

If you look the first example
[code=c]using StringExtension s;



....
string phone = "123-123-1234";
string newPhone = phone.RemoveNon Numeric();// <- This is what I'm trying to do.[/code]
It'll output 1231231234.

Thanks again.

[Shashi Sadasivan]

have a look at this link

Extension methods seems to be more of a compiler trick.

I did not read into the details of it, but I am subscribing to this thread to refer to it later.

Hope it helps

[skipbr]

have a look at this link

Extension methods seems to be more of a compiler trick.

I did not read into the details of it, but I am subscribing to this thread to refer to it later.

Hope it helps

It works only when creating a project using the new VS 2008 and targeting the 2.0 (I'm still using VS 2005).
I'll download the C# 2008 Express Edition and see how my library works.

Thanks a lot for this link Shashi.

[Plater]

Edit: oops.

Ok, so you wanted to implictly extend the base class prototypes (like in javascript). I gotcha.


I'm not sure why you needed to do that instead of just doing this

public static string RemoveNonNumeric(string somestring)

type of function, but at least .NET3.0 accomodates it.

[skipbr]

Edit: oops.

Ok, so you wanted to implictly extend the base class prototypes (like in javascript). I gotcha.


I'm not sure why you needed to do that instead of just doing this

public static string RemoveNonNumeric(string somestring)

type of function, but at least .NET3.0 accomodates it.

I'm writing a .dll so I'm trying to make things easier for those who will use it. Of course it can be done like
string a = MyMethod(someth ing), but having something similar to ToString() is way better (IMO).
I'll try this C# 2008 Express to see how it works... The link Shashi gave is what I was looking for, except for the 2008 version. But it's not a big issue.

[skipbr]

Just to post a feedback here.

Wrote a small sample app in C# VS 2008 Express and tried the extension method. It worked fine, except that, to keep this functionality, anyone using my library would need to work with 2008 as well.

I think it can't be done in 2.0.

Anyway, thanks everyone who posted here, got a great support from you guys.