Type.IsGenericType Property

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System

Assembly:: System.Runtime.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Source:: Type.cs

Source:: Type.cs

Source:: Type.cs

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Gets a value indicating whether the current type is a generic type.

public:
 virtual property bool IsGenericType { bool get(); };

public virtual bool IsGenericType { get; }

member this.IsGenericType : bool

Public Overridable ReadOnly Property IsGenericType As Boolean

Property Value

Boolean

true if the current type is a generic type; otherwise, false.

Examples

The following code example displays the value of the IsGenericType, IsGenericTypeDefinition, IsGenericParameter, and ContainsGenericParameters properties for the types described in the Remarks section. For explanations of the property values, see the accompanying table in Remarks.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Reflection;

generic<typename T, typename U> public ref class Base {};

generic<typename T> public ref class G {};

generic<typename V> public ref class Derived : Base<String^, V>
{
public: 
    G<Derived<V>^>^ F;

    ref class Nested {};
};

void DisplayGenericType(Type^ t, String^ caption)
{
    Console::WriteLine("\n{0}", caption);
    Console::WriteLine("    Type: {0}", t);

    Console::WriteLine("\t            IsGenericType: {0}", 
        t->IsGenericType);
    Console::WriteLine("\t  IsGenericTypeDefinition: {0}", 
        t->IsGenericTypeDefinition);
    Console::WriteLine("\tContainsGenericParameters: {0}", 
        t->ContainsGenericParameters);
    Console::WriteLine("\t       IsGenericParameter: {0}", 
        t->IsGenericParameter);
}

void main()
{
    // Get the generic type definition for Derived, and the base
    // type for Derived.
    //
    Type^ tDerived = Derived::typeid;
    Type^ tDerivedBase = tDerived->BaseType;

    // Declare an array of Derived<int>, and get its type.
    //
    array<Derived<int>^>^ d = gcnew array<Derived<int>^>(0);
    Type^ tDerivedArray = d->GetType();

    // Get a generic type parameter, the type of a field, and a
    // type that is nested in Derived. Notice that in order to
    // get the nested type it is necessary to either (1) specify
    // the generic type definition Derived::typeid, as shown here,
    // or (2) specify a type parameter for Derived.
    //
    Type^ tT = Base::typeid->GetGenericArguments()[0];
    Type^ tF = tDerived->GetField("F")->FieldType;
    Type^ tNested = Derived::Nested::typeid;

    DisplayGenericType(tDerived, "generic<V> Derived");
    DisplayGenericType(tDerivedBase, "Base type of generic<V> Derived");
    DisplayGenericType(tDerivedArray, "Array of Derived<int>");
    DisplayGenericType(tT, "Type parameter T from generic<T> Base");
    DisplayGenericType(tF, "Field type, G<Derived<V>^>^");
    DisplayGenericType(tNested, "Nested type in generic<V> Derived");
}

/* This code example produces the following output:

generic<V> Derived
    Type: Derived`1[V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: True
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Base type of generic<V> Derived
    Type: Base`2[System.String,V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Array of Derived<int>
    Type: Derived`1[System.Int32][]
                    IsGenericType: False
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: False
               IsGenericParameter: False

Type parameter T from generic<T> Base
    Type: T
                    IsGenericType: False
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: True

Field type, G<Derived<V>^>^
    Type: G`1[Derived`1[V]]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Nested type in generic<V> Derived
    Type: Derived`1+Nested[V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: True
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False
 */

using System;
using System.Reflection;

public class Base<T, U> {}

public class Derived<V> : Base<string, V>
{
    public G<Derived <V>> F;

    public class Nested {}
}

public class G<T> {}

class Example
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        // Get the generic type definition for Derived, and the base
        // type for Derived.
        //
        Type tDerived = typeof(Derived<>);
        Type tDerivedBase = tDerived.BaseType;

        // Declare an array of Derived<int>, and get its type.
        //
        Derived<int>[] d = new Derived<int>[0];
        Type tDerivedArray = d.GetType();

        // Get a generic type parameter, the type of a field, and a
        // type that is nested in Derived. Notice that in order to
        // get the nested type it is necessary to either (1) specify
        // the generic type definition Derived<>, as shown here,
        // or (2) specify a type parameter for Derived.
        //
        Type tT = typeof(Base<,>).GetGenericArguments()[0];
        Type tF = tDerived.GetField("F").FieldType;
        Type tNested = typeof(Derived<>.Nested);

        DisplayGenericType(tDerived, "Derived<V>");
        DisplayGenericType(tDerivedBase, "Base type of Derived<V>");
        DisplayGenericType(tDerivedArray, "Array of Derived<int>");
        DisplayGenericType(tT, "Type parameter T from Base<T>");
        DisplayGenericType(tF, "Field type, G<Derived<V>>");
        DisplayGenericType(tNested, "Nested type in Derived<V>");
    }

    public static void DisplayGenericType(Type t, string caption)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("\n{0}", caption);
        Console.WriteLine("    Type: {0}", t);

        Console.WriteLine("\t            IsGenericType: {0}", 
            t.IsGenericType);
        Console.WriteLine("\t  IsGenericTypeDefinition: {0}", 
            t.IsGenericTypeDefinition);
        Console.WriteLine("\tContainsGenericParameters: {0}", 
            t.ContainsGenericParameters);
        Console.WriteLine("\t       IsGenericParameter: {0}", 
            t.IsGenericParameter);
    }
}

/* This code example produces the following output:

Derived<V>
    Type: Derived`1[V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: True
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Base type of Derived<V>
    Type: Base`2[System.String,V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Array of Derived<int>
    Type: Derived`1[System.Int32][]
                    IsGenericType: False
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: False
               IsGenericParameter: False

Type parameter T from Base<T>
    Type: T
                    IsGenericType: False
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: True

Field type, G<Derived<V>>
    Type: G`1[Derived`1[V]]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Nested type in Derived<V>
    Type: Derived`1+Nested[V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: True
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False
 */

open System

type Base<'T, 'U>() = class end

type G<'T>() = class end

type Derived<'V>() =
    inherit Base<string, 'V>()
    
    [<DefaultValue>]
    val mutable public F : G<Derived<'V>>

let displayGenericType (t: Type) caption =
    printfn $"\n{caption}"
    printfn $"    Type: {t}"

    printfn $"\t            IsGenericType: {t.IsGenericType}" 
    printfn $"\t  IsGenericTypeDefinition: {t.IsGenericTypeDefinition}" 
    printfn $"\tContainsGenericParameters: {t.ContainsGenericParameters}"
    printfn $"\t       IsGenericParameter: {t.IsGenericParameter}"

// Get the generic type definition for Derived, and the base
// type for Derived.
let tDerived = typeof<Derived<_>>.GetGenericTypeDefinition()
let tDerivedBase = tDerived.BaseType

// Declare an array of Derived<int>, and get its type.
let d = Array.zeroCreate<Derived<int>> 0
let tDerivedArray = d.GetType()

// Get a generic type parameter, the type of a field, and a
// type that is nested in Derived. Notice that in order to
// get the nested type it is necessary to either (1) specify
// the generic type definition Derived<>, as shown here,
// or (2) specify a type parameter for Derived.
let tT = typeof<Base<_,_>>.GetGenericTypeDefinition().GetGenericArguments()[0]
let tF = tDerived.GetField("F").FieldType

displayGenericType tDerived "Derived<V>"
displayGenericType tDerivedBase "Base type of Derived<V>"
displayGenericType tDerivedArray "Array of Derived<int>"
displayGenericType tT "Type parameter T from Base<T>"
displayGenericType tF "Field type, G<Derived<V>>"

(* This code example produces the following output:

Derived<V>
    Type: Derived`1[V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: True
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Base type of Derived<V>
    Type: Base`2[System.String,V]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False

Array of Derived<int>
    Type: Derived`1[System.Int32][]
                    IsGenericType: False
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: False
               IsGenericParameter: False

Type parameter T from Base<T>
    Type: T
                    IsGenericType: False
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: True

Field type, G<Derived<V>>
    Type: G`1[Derived`1[V]]
                    IsGenericType: True
          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
        ContainsGenericParameters: True
               IsGenericParameter: False
 *)

Imports System.Reflection

' 
Public Class Base(Of T, U)
End Class

Public Class Derived(Of V) 
    Inherits Base(Of String, V)

    Public F As G(Of Derived(Of V))

    Public Class Nested
    End Class
End Class

Public Class G(Of T)
End Class 

Module Example

    Sub Main

        ' Get the generic type definition for Derived, and the base
        ' type for Derived.
        '
        Dim tDerived As Type = GetType(Derived(Of ))
        Dim tDerivedBase As Type = tDerived.BaseType

        ' Declare an array of Derived(Of Integer), and get its type.
        '
        Dim d(0) As Derived(Of Integer)
        Dim tDerivedArray As Type = d.GetType()

        ' Get a generic type parameter, the type of a field, and a
        ' type that is nested in Derived. Notice that in order to
        ' get the nested type it is necessary to either (1) specify
        ' the generic type definition Derived(Of ), as shown here,
        ' or (2) specify a type parameter for Derived.
        '
        Dim tT As Type = GetType(Base(Of ,)).GetGenericArguments()(0)
        Dim tF As Type = tDerived.GetField("F").FieldType
        Dim tNested As Type = GetType(Derived(Of ).Nested)

        DisplayGenericType(tDerived, "Derived(Of V)")
        DisplayGenericType(tDerivedBase, "Base type of Derived(Of V)")
        DisplayGenericType(tDerivedArray, "Array of Derived(Of Integer)")
        DisplayGenericType(tT, "Type parameter T from Base(Of T)")
        DisplayGenericType(tF, "Field type, G(Of Derived(Of V))")
        DisplayGenericType(tNested, "Nested type in Derived(Of V)")

    End Sub

    Sub DisplayGenericType(ByVal t As Type, ByVal caption As String)

        Console.WriteLine(vbLf & caption)
        Console.WriteLine("    Type: {0}", t)

        Console.WriteLine(vbTab & "            IsGenericType: {0}", _
            t.IsGenericType)
        Console.WriteLine(vbTab & "  IsGenericTypeDefinition: {0}", _
            t.IsGenericTypeDefinition)
        Console.WriteLine(vbTab & "ContainsGenericParameters: {0}", _
            t.ContainsGenericParameters)
        Console.WriteLine(vbTab & "       IsGenericParameter: {0}", _
            t.IsGenericParameter)

    End Sub

End Module

' This code example produces the following output:
'
'Derived(Of V)
'    Type: Derived`1[V]
'                    IsGenericType: True
'          IsGenericTypeDefinition: True
'        ContainsGenericParameters: True
'               IsGenericParameter: False
'
'Base type of Derived(Of V)
'    Type: Base`2[System.String,V]
'                    IsGenericType: True
'          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
'        ContainsGenericParameters: True
'               IsGenericParameter: False
'
'Array of Derived(Of Integer)
'    Type: Derived`1[System.Int32][]
'                    IsGenericType: False
'          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
'        ContainsGenericParameters: False
'               IsGenericParameter: False
'
'Type parameter T from Base(Of T)
'    Type: T
'                    IsGenericType: False
'          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
'        ContainsGenericParameters: True
'               IsGenericParameter: True
'
'Field type, G(Of Derived(Of V))
'    Type: G`1[Derived`1[V]]
'                    IsGenericType: True
'          IsGenericTypeDefinition: False
'        ContainsGenericParameters: True
'               IsGenericParameter: False
'
'Nested type in Derived(Of V)
'    Type: Derived`1+Nested[V]
'                    IsGenericType: True
'          IsGenericTypeDefinition: True
'        ContainsGenericParameters: True
'               IsGenericParameter: False

Remarks

Use the IsGenericType property to determine whether a Type object represents a generic type. Use the ContainsGenericParameters property to determine whether a Type object represents an open constructed type or a closed constructed type.

Note

The IsGenericType property returns false if the immediate type is not generic. For example, an array whose elements are of type A<int> (A(Of Integer) in Visual Basic) is not itself a generic type.

The following table summarizes the invariant conditions for common terms used in generic reflection.

Term	Invariant
generic type definition	The IsGenericTypeDefinition property is `true`. Defines a generic type. A constructed type is created by calling the MakeGenericType method on a Type object that represents a generic type definition and specifying an array of type arguments. MakeGenericType can be called only on generic type definitions. Any generic type definition is a generic type (the IsGenericType property is `true`), but the converse is not true.
generic type	The IsGenericType property is `true`. Can be a generic type definition, an open constructed type, or a closed constructed type. Note that an array type whose element type is generic is not itself a generic type. The same is true of a Type object representing a pointer to a generic type.
open constructed type	The ContainsGenericParameters property is `true`. Examples are a generic type that has unassigned type parameters, a type that is nested in a generic type definition or in an open constructed type, or a generic type that has a type argument for which the ContainsGenericParameters property is `true`. it's not possible to create an instance of an open constructed type. Note that not all open constructed types are generic. For example, an array whose element type is a generic type definition is not generic, and a pointer to an open constructed type is not generic.
closed constructed type	The ContainsGenericParameters property is `false`. When examined recursively, the type has no unassigned generic parameters.
generic type parameter	The IsGenericParameter property is `true`. The ContainsGenericParameters property is `true`. In a generic type definition, a placeholder for a type that will be assigned later.
generic type argument	Can be any type, including a generic type parameter. Type arguments are specified as an array of Type objects passed to the MakeGenericType method when creating a constructed generic type. If instances of the resulting type are to be created, the ContainsGenericParameters property must be `false` for all the type arguments.

The following code example and table illustrate some of these terms and invariants. The Derived class is of particular interest because its base type is a constructed type that has a mixture of types and type parameters in its type argument list.

generic<typename T, typename U> public ref class Base {};

generic<typename T> public ref class G {};

generic<typename V> public ref class Derived : Base<String^, V>
{
public:
    G<Derived<V>^>^ F;

    ref class Nested {};
};

public class Base<T, U> {}

public class Derived<V> : Base<string, V>
{
    public G<Derived <V>> F;

    public class Nested {}
}

public class G<T> {}

type Base<'T, 'U>() = class end

type G<'T>() = class end

type Derived<'V>() =
    inherit Base<string, 'V>()
    
    [<DefaultValue>]
    val mutable public F : G<Derived<'V>>

Public Class Base(Of T, U)
End Class

Public Class Derived(Of V)
    Inherits Base(Of String, V)

    Public F As G(Of Derived(Of V))

    Public Class Nested
    End Class
End Class

Public Class G(Of T)
End Class

The following table shows examples that use and build on the classes Base, Derived, and G. When the C++ and C# code is the same, only one entry is shown.

Example	Invariants
`Derived(Of V)` `Derived<V>`	For this type: IsGenericType is `true`. IsGenericTypeDefinition is `true`. ContainsGenericParameters is `true`.
`Base(Of String, V)` `Base<String,V>` `Base<String^,V>`	For this type: IsGenericType is `true`. IsGenericTypeDefinition is `false`. ContainsGenericParameters is `true`.
`Dim d() As Derived(Of Integer)` `Derived<int>[] d;` `array<Derived<int>^>^ d;`	For the type of variable `d`: IsGenericType is `false` because `d` is an array. IsGenericTypeDefinition is `false`. ContainsGenericParameters is `false`.
`T`, `U`, and `V` (everywhere they appear)	IsGenericParameter is `true`. IsGenericType is `false` because there is no way to constrain a type parameter to generic types. IsGenericTypeDefinition is `false`. ContainsGenericParameters is `true` because `T`, `U`, and `V` are themselves generic type parameters. This does not imply anything about type arguments that are assigned to them later.
The type of field `F`	IsGenericType is `true`. IsGenericTypeDefinition is `false` because a type has been assigned to the type parameter of `G`. Note that this is equivalent to having called the MakeGenericType method. ContainsGenericParameters is `true` because the type of field `F` has a type argument that is an open constructed type. The constructed type is open because its type argument (that is, `Base`) is a generic type definition. This illustrates the recursive nature of the IsGenericType property.
The nested class `Nested`	IsGenericType is `true`, even though the `Nested` class has no generic type parameters of its own, because it's nested in a generic type. IsGenericTypeDefinition is `true`. That is, you can call the MakeGenericType method and supply the type parameter of the enclosing type, `Derived`. ContainsGenericParameters is `true` because the enclosing type, `Derived`, has generic type parameters. This illustrates the recursive nature of the ContainsGenericParameters property.

Applies to

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