How Can I Get a Class Reference from a String in C# Using Reflection?

Using Reflection to Retrieve C# Class References from Strings

C# reflection provides a powerful mechanism for dynamically accessing and manipulating runtime type information. This includes retrieving a class reference using only its string representation.

The Process:

The core method for this task is Type.GetType(). This method accepts a string containing the fully qualified type name and returns a Type object representing that type.

Example:

Let's say you have a class named FooClass. To obtain its Type object:

<code class="language-csharp">string className = "FooClass";
Type type = Type.GetType(className);</code>

To access a static method within FooClass (e.g., MyMethod), use GetMethod():

<code class="language-csharp">MethodInfo method = type.GetMethod("MyMethod", BindingFlags.Static | BindingFlags.Public);</code>

Finally, invoke the method using Invoke():

<code class="language-csharp">method.Invoke(null, null); // null for static methods, null for no parameters</code>

Remember that null is used as the first argument for static methods (no instance required) and the second argument is an array of parameters (null if the method takes no parameters).

Handling External Assemblies:

The above example assumes FooClass resides within the same assembly. For types located in different assemblies, you must supply the assembly's name as part of the fully qualified type name. The exact format depends on the assembly's location. Consult the MSDN documentation for detailed guidance on specifying assembly names within the Type.GetType() method.

Further Exploration:

For a more thorough understanding of C# reflection, refer to the official Microsoft documentation on Type.GetType(), MethodInfo.GetMethod(), and MethodInfo.Invoke(). These resources offer comprehensive details and advanced usage scenarios.

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