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Getting generic types with reflection #10595

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Getting generic types with reflection
Feb 21, 2019
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Update docs/framework/reflection-and-codedom/specifying-fully-qualifi…
BillWagner Feb 22, 2019
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27 changes: 16 additions & 11 deletions docs/framework/reflection-and-codedom/specifying-fully-qualified-type-names.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
---
title: "Specifying Fully Qualified Type Names"
ms.date: "03/14/2018"
ms.date: "02/21/2019"
helpviewer_keywords:
- "names [.NET Framework], fully qualified type names"
- "reflection, fully qualified type names"
Expand All @@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ ms.assetid: d90b1e39-9115-4f2a-81c0-05e7e74e5580
author: "rpetrusha"
ms.author: "ronpet"
---
# Specifying Fully Qualified Type Names
# Specifying fully qualified type names
You must specify type names to have valid input to various reflection operations. A fully qualified type name consists of an assembly name specification, a namespace specification, and a type name. Type name specifications are used by methods such as <xref:System.Type.GetType%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType>, <xref:System.Reflection.Module.GetType%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType>, <xref:System.Reflection.Emit.ModuleBuilder.GetType%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType>, and <xref:System.Reflection.Assembly.GetType%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType>.

## Grammar for Type Names
## Grammar for type names
The grammar defines the syntax of formal languages. The following table lists lexical rules that describe how to recognize a valid input. Terminals (those elements that are not further reducible) are shown in all uppercase letters. Nonterminals (those elements that are further reducible) are shown in mixed-case or singly quoted strings, but the single quote (') is not a part of the syntax itself. The pipe character (&#124;) denotes rules that have subrules.

```antlr
Expand All @@ -35,10 +35,13 @@ ReferenceTypeSpec

SimpleTypeSpec
: PointerTypeSpec
| ArrayTypeSpec
| GenericTypeSpec
| TypeName
;

GenericTypeSpec
: SimpleTypeSpec ` NUMBER

PointerTypeSpec
: SimpleTypeSpec '*'
;
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -101,7 +104,7 @@ AssemblyProperty
;
```

## Specifying Special Characters
## Specifying special characters
In a type name, IDENTIFIER is any valid name determined by the rules of a language.

Use the backslash (\\) as an escape character to separate the following tokens when used as part of IDENTIFIER.
Expand All @@ -125,7 +128,7 @@ AssemblyProperty

If the namespace were `Ozzy.Out+Back`, then the plus sign must be preceded by a backslash. Otherwise, the parser would interpret it as a nesting separator. Reflection emits this string as `Ozzy.Out\+Back.Kangaroo+Wallaby,MyAssembly`.

## Specifying Assembly Names
## Specifying assembly names
The minimum information required in an assembly name specification is the textual name (IDENTIFIER) of the assembly. You can follow the IDENTIFIER by a comma-separated list of property/value pairs as described in the following table. IDENTIFIER naming should follow the rules for file naming. The IDENTIFIER is case-insensitive.

|Property name|Description|Allowable values|
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -171,22 +174,24 @@ com.microsoft.crypto, Culture="", PublicKeyToken=a5d015c7d5a0b012
com.microsoft.crypto, Culture=en, PublicKeyToken=a5d015c7d5a0b012,
Version=1.0.0.0
```

## Specifying Pointers
## Specifying generic types

SimpleTypeSpec\`NUMBER represents an open generic type with from 1 to *n* generic type parameters. For example, to get reference to the open generic type List\<T> or the closed generic type List\<String>, use ``Type.GetType("System.Collections.Generic.List`1")`` To get a reference to the generic type Dictionary\<TKey,TValue>, use ``Type.GetType("System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2")``.

## Specifying pointers
SimpleTypeSpec* represents an unmanaged pointer. For example, to get a pointer to type MyType, use `Type.GetType("MyType*")`. To get a pointer to a pointer to type MyType, use `Type.GetType("MyType**")`.

## Specifying References
## Specifying references
SimpleTypeSpec & represents a managed pointer or reference. For example, to get a reference to type MyType, use `Type.GetType("MyType &")`. Note that unlike pointers, references are limited to one level.

## Specifying Arrays
## Specifying arrays
In the BNF Grammar, ReflectionEmitDimension only applies to incomplete type definitions retrieved using <xref:System.Reflection.Emit.ModuleBuilder.GetType%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType>. Incomplete type definitions are <xref:System.Reflection.Emit.TypeBuilder> objects constructed using <xref:System.Reflection.Emit?displayProperty=nameWithType> but on which <xref:System.Reflection.Emit.TypeBuilder.CreateType%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType> has not been called. ReflectionDimension can be used to retrieve any type definition that has been completed, that is, a type that has been loaded.

Arrays are accessed in reflection by specifying the rank of the array:

- `Type.GetType("MyArray[]")` gets a single-dimension array with 0 lower bound.

- `Type.GetType("MyArray[*]")` gets a single-dimension array with unknown lower bound.

- `Type.GetType("MyArray[][]")` gets a two-dimensional array's array.

- `Type.GetType("MyArray[*,*]")` and `Type.GetType("MyArray[,]")` gets a rectangular two-dimensional array with unknown lower bounds.
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