C# Generics (How It Works For Developers)

Simple Example of a Generic Class

Consider a generic class named Box that is designed to store a value of any type:

public class Box<T>
{
    private T data;

    public Box(T data)
    {
        this.data = data;
    }

    public T Data
    {
        get { return data; }
    }
}

public class Box<T>
{
    private T data;

    public Box(T data)
    {
        this.data = data;
    }

    public T Data
    {
        get { return data; }
    }
}

To use this class, you create an instance specifying the actual type for T:

Box<int> integerBox = new Box<int>(123);
Box<string> stringBox = new Box<string>("Hello");

Box<int> integerBox = new Box<int>(123);
Box<string> stringBox = new Box<string>("Hello");

This code illustrates how a single class (Box) can adapt to store different data types (int, string), showcasing the power of generics for code reuse and type safety.

Example of a Generic Method

Here's a method that swaps two elements in an array of any type:

public class Utility
{
    // Swaps two elements by reference using generics
    public static void Swap<T>(ref T lhs, ref T rhs)
    {
        T temp = lhs; // Store lhs in a temporary variable
        lhs = rhs;    // Assign rhs to lhs
        rhs = temp;   // Assign temp (original lhs) to rhs
    }
}

public class Utility
{
    // Swaps two elements by reference using generics
    public static void Swap<T>(ref T lhs, ref T rhs)
    {
        T temp = lhs; // Store lhs in a temporary variable
        lhs = rhs;    // Assign rhs to lhs
        rhs = temp;   // Assign temp (original lhs) to rhs
    }
}

Usage of the above method can be as follows:

int a = 1, b = 2;
Utility.Swap<int>(ref a, ref b);

string first = "world", second = "hello";
Utility.Swap(ref first, ref second);

int a = 1, b = 2;
Utility.Swap<int>(ref a, ref b);

string first = "world", second = "hello";
Utility.Swap(ref first, ref second);

Generic Interface Example

A generic repository interface for data access operations might look like this:

public interface IRepository<T>
{
    void Add(T item);
    T GetById(int id);
    IEnumerable<T> GetAll();
}

public interface IRepository<T>
{
    void Add(T item);
    T GetById(int id);
    IEnumerable<T> GetAll();
}

This interface can be implemented by any class to handle specific data types, allowing for consistent data access patterns across different types.

Generic Delegate Example

A generic delegate could be used to define a type-safe callback:

public delegate void Action<T>(T item);

public delegate void Action<T>(T item);

Custom Generic Type Example

Consider a generic Result class that encapsulates operation results along with a success flag and an optional message:

public class Result<T>
{
    public bool Success { get; private set; }
    public T Data { get; private set; }
    public string Message { get; private set; }

    public Result(bool success, T data, string message = "")
    {
        Success = success;
        Data = data;
        Message = message;
    }
}

public class Result<T>
{
    public bool Success { get; private set; }
    public T Data { get; private set; }
    public string Message { get; private set; }

    public Result(bool success, T data, string message = "")
    {
        Success = success;
        Data = data;
        Message = message;
    }
}

Code Example: Using virtual Keyword with IronPDF

The idea behind using generics here is to create a reusable method that can generate a PDF from any given HTML string. This method will be generic, allowing us to specify different types of metadata or configurations as needed.

First, let's define a simple generic class that will hold our PDF generation options. For demonstration purposes, this class will be basic, but you can expand it with more properties to suit your needs.

public class PdfOptions<T>
{
    public T Metadata { get; set; }
    public string HtmlContent { get; set; }
}

public class PdfOptions<T>
{
    public T Metadata { get; set; }
    public string HtmlContent { get; set; }
}

Now, let's create a static method that generates a PDF using IronPDF, leveraging our PdfOptions class. This method will take an instance of PdfOptions as its parameter, showcasing the use of generics in action.

using IronPdf; // Make sure to include the necessary namespace for IronPDF

public static class PdfGenerator
{
    // Generates a PDF from provided HTML content and options
    public static void GeneratePdf<T>(PdfOptions<T> options)
    {
        // Initialize the IronPDF HtmlToPdf renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Optional: Apply any renderer options here, for example, setting the paper size
        renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = IronPdf.Rendering.PdfPaperSize.A4;

        // Generate the PDF from HTML content
        var pdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(options.HtmlContent);

        // Optional: Here, you can use options.Metadata in some way, depending on your generic type T
        // For simplicity, we're just printing the metadata to console if it's of type string
        if (options.Metadata is string metadataString)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Metadata: {metadataString}");
        }

        // Save the PDF to a file
        var fileName = $"GeneratedPdf_{DateTime.Now.Ticks}.pdf";
        pdfDocument.SaveAs(fileName);
        Console.WriteLine($"PDF generated and saved as {fileName}");
    }
}

using IronPdf; // Make sure to include the necessary namespace for IronPDF

public static class PdfGenerator
{
    // Generates a PDF from provided HTML content and options
    public static void GeneratePdf<T>(PdfOptions<T> options)
    {
        // Initialize the IronPDF HtmlToPdf renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Optional: Apply any renderer options here, for example, setting the paper size
        renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = IronPdf.Rendering.PdfPaperSize.A4;

        // Generate the PDF from HTML content
        var pdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(options.HtmlContent);

        // Optional: Here, you can use options.Metadata in some way, depending on your generic type T
        // For simplicity, we're just printing the metadata to console if it's of type string
        if (options.Metadata is string metadataString)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Metadata: {metadataString}");
        }

        // Save the PDF to a file
        var fileName = $"GeneratedPdf_{DateTime.Now.Ticks}.pdf";
        pdfDocument.SaveAs(fileName);
        Console.WriteLine($"PDF generated and saved as {fileName}");
    }
}

Finally, let's use our PdfGenerator class to generate a PDF document. In this example, the Metadata property could be a string containing a title or any other information you find relevant.

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Set the license key for IronPDF if needed
        License.LicenseKey = "Your-License-Key-Here";

        // Create PDF options with HTML content and metadata
        var options = new PdfOptions<string>
        {
            HtmlContent = "<h1>Hello, World!</h1><p>This is a test PDF document generated from HTML.</p>",
            Metadata = "Test PDF Title"
        };

        // Generate the PDF using the specified options
        PdfGenerator.GeneratePdf(options);
    }
}

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Set the license key for IronPDF if needed
        License.LicenseKey = "Your-License-Key-Here";

        // Create PDF options with HTML content and metadata
        var options = new PdfOptions<string>
        {
            HtmlContent = "<h1>Hello, World!</h1><p>This is a test PDF document generated from HTML.</p>",
            Metadata = "Test PDF Title"
        };

        // Generate the PDF using the specified options
        PdfGenerator.GeneratePdf(options);
    }
}

This example illustrates the basics of integrating IronPDF with C# Generics, providing a flexible way to generate PDFs from HTML content while allowing for customizable metadata or configurations through the generic PdfOptions class. You can expand upon this by adding more sophisticated options and renderer configurations as needed for your application.