ComVisibleAttribute Class

Definition

Controls accessibility of an individual managed type or member, or of all types within an assembly, to COM.

C#
[System.AttributeUsage(System.AttributeTargets.Assembly | System.AttributeTargets.Class | System.AttributeTargets.Delegate | System.AttributeTargets.Enum | System.AttributeTargets.Field | System.AttributeTargets.Interface | System.AttributeTargets.Method | System.AttributeTargets.Property | System.AttributeTargets.Struct, Inherited=false)]
public sealed class ComVisibleAttribute : Attribute
C#
[System.AttributeUsage(System.AttributeTargets.Assembly | System.AttributeTargets.Class | System.AttributeTargets.Delegate | System.AttributeTargets.Enum | System.AttributeTargets.Field | System.AttributeTargets.Interface | System.AttributeTargets.Method | System.AttributeTargets.Property | System.AttributeTargets.Struct, Inherited=false)]
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(true)]
public sealed class ComVisibleAttribute : Attribute
Inheritance
ComVisibleAttribute
Attributes

Examples

The following example shows how you can control the visibility to COM of a class so that its members are invisible. By setting ComVisibleAttribute to false on MyClass(SampleClass in the Visual Basic example), and false on MyMethod and MyProperty, you can avoid inadvertently exposing the members to COM through inheritance.

C#
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

[ComVisible(false)]
class MyClass
{
   public MyClass()
   {
      //Insert code here.
   }

   [ComVisible(false)]
   public int MyMethod(string param)
   {
      return 0;
   }

   public bool MyOtherMethod()
   {
      return true;
   }

   [ComVisible(false)]
   public int MyProperty
   {
      get
      {
         return MyProperty;
      }
   }
}

Remarks

You can apply this attribute to assemblies, interfaces, classes, structures, delegates, enumerations, fields, methods, event accessors, or properties.

The default is true, which indicates that the managed type is visible to COM. This attribute is not needed to make public managed assemblies and types visible; they are visible to COM by default. Only public types can be made visible. The attribute cannot be used to make an otherwise internal or protected type visible to COM or to make members of a nonvisible type visible.

Setting the attribute to false on the assembly hides all public types within the assembly. You can selectively make types within the assembly visible by setting the individual types to true. Setting the attribute to false on a specific type hides that type and its members. However, you cannot make members of a type visible if the type is invisible. Setting the attribute to false on a type prevents that type from being exported to a type library; classes are not registered; interfaces are never responsive to unmanaged QueryInterface calls.

Unless you explicitly set a class and its members to false, inherited classes can expose to COM base class members that are invisible in the original class. For example, if you set ClassA to false and do not apply the attribute to its members, the class and its members are invisible to COM. However, if you derive ClassB from ClassA and export ClassB to COM, ClassA members become visible base class members of ClassB.

For a detailed description of the export process, see Assembly to Type Library Conversion Summary.

Constructors

ComVisibleAttribute(Boolean)

Initializes a new instance of the ComVisibleAttribute class.

Properties

TypeId

When implemented in a derived class, gets a unique identifier for this Attribute.

(Inherited from Attribute)
Value

Gets a value that indicates whether the COM type is visible.

Methods

Equals(Object)

Returns a value that indicates whether this instance is equal to a specified object.

(Inherited from Attribute)
GetHashCode()

Returns the hash code for this instance.

(Inherited from Attribute)
GetType()

Gets the Type of the current instance.

(Inherited from Object)
IsDefaultAttribute()

When overridden in a derived class, indicates whether the value of this instance is the default value for the derived class.

(Inherited from Attribute)
Match(Object)

When overridden in a derived class, returns a value that indicates whether this instance equals a specified object.

(Inherited from Attribute)
MemberwiseClone()

Creates a shallow copy of the current Object.

(Inherited from Object)
ToString()

Returns a string that represents the current object.

(Inherited from Object)

Explicit Interface Implementations

_Attribute.GetIDsOfNames(Guid, IntPtr, UInt32, UInt32, IntPtr)

Maps a set of names to a corresponding set of dispatch identifiers.

(Inherited from Attribute)
_Attribute.GetTypeInfo(UInt32, UInt32, IntPtr)

Retrieves the type information for an object, which can be used to get the type information for an interface.

(Inherited from Attribute)
_Attribute.GetTypeInfoCount(UInt32)

Retrieves the number of type information interfaces that an object provides (either 0 or 1).

(Inherited from Attribute)
_Attribute.Invoke(UInt32, Guid, UInt32, Int16, IntPtr, IntPtr, IntPtr, IntPtr)

Provides access to properties and methods exposed by an object.

(Inherited from Attribute)

Applies to

Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

See also