C# – How to check if a given value is a generic list

c++genericslistreflection

public bool IsList(object value)
    {
        Type type = value.GetType();
        // Check if type is a generic list of any type
    }

What's the best way to check if the given object is a list, or can be cast to a list?

Best Solution

For you guys that enjoy the use of extension methods:

public static bool IsGenericList(this object o)
{
    var oType = o.GetType();
    return (oType.IsGenericType && (oType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(List<>)));
}

So, we could do:

if(o.IsGenericList())
{
 //...
}

Related Solutions

Python – How to check if a list is empty

if not a:
  print("List is empty")

Using the implicit booleanness of the empty list is quite pythonic.

C# – Create Generic method constraining T to an Enum

Since Enum Type implements IConvertible interface, a better implementation should be something like this:

public T GetEnumFromString<T>(string value) where T : struct, IConvertible
{
   if (!typeof(T).IsEnum) 
   {
      throw new ArgumentException("T must be an enumerated type");
   }

   //...
}

This will still permit passing of value types implementing IConvertible. The chances are rare though.

Best Solution

Related Solutions

Python – How to check if a list is empty

C# – Create Generic method constraining T to an Enum

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