User-Defined Attributes (C++/CLI and C++/CX)
C++/CLI and C++/CX enable you to create platform-specific attributes that extend the metadata of an interface, class or structure, method, parameter, or enumeration. These attributes are distinct from the standard C++ attributes.
Windows Runtime
You can apply C++/CX attributes to properties, but not to constructors or methods.
Requirements
Compiler option: /ZW
Common Language Runtime
The information and syntax presented in this topic is meant to supersede the information presented in attribute.
You can define a custom attribute by defining a type and making Attribute a base class for the type and optionally applying the AttributeUsageAttribute attribute.
For more information, see:
For information on signing assemblies in Visual C++, see Strong Name Assemblies (Assembly Signing) (C++/CLI).
Requirements
Compiler option: /clr
Examples
The following sample shows how to define a custom attribute.
// user_defined_attributes.cpp
// compile with: /clr /c
using namespace System;
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets::All)]
ref struct Attr : public Attribute {
Attr(bool i){}
Attr(){}
};
[Attr]
ref class MyClass {};
The following example illustrates some important features of custom attributes. For example, this example shows a common usage of the custom attributes: instantiating a server that can fully describe itself to clients.
// extending_metadata_b.cpp
// compile with: /clr
using namespace System;
using namespace System::Reflection;
public enum class Access { Read, Write, Execute };
// Defining the Job attribute:
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets::Class, AllowMultiple=true )]
public ref class Job : Attribute {
public:
property int Priority {
void set( int value ) { m_Priority = value; }
int get() { return m_Priority; }
}
// You can overload constructors to specify Job attribute in different ways
Job() { m_Access = Access::Read; }
Job( Access a ) { m_Access = a; }
Access m_Access;
protected:
int m_Priority;
};
interface struct IService {
void Run();
};
// Using the Job attribute:
// Here we specify that QueryService is to be read only with a priority of 2.
// To prevent namespace collisions, all custom attributes implicitly
// end with "Attribute".
[Job( Access::Read, Priority=2 )]
ref struct QueryService : public IService {
virtual void Run() {}
};
// Because we said AllowMultiple=true, we can add multiple attributes
[Job(Access::Read, Priority=1)]
[Job(Access::Write, Priority=3)]
ref struct StatsGenerator : public IService {
virtual void Run( ) {}
};
int main() {
IService ^ pIS;
QueryService ^ pQS = gcnew QueryService;
StatsGenerator ^ pSG = gcnew StatsGenerator;
// use QueryService
pIS = safe_cast<IService ^>( pQS );
// use StatsGenerator
pIS = safe_cast<IService ^>( pSG );
// Reflection
MemberInfo ^ pMI = pIS->GetType();
array <Object ^ > ^ pObjs = pMI->GetCustomAttributes(false);
// We can now quickly and easily view custom attributes for an
// Object through Reflection */
for( int i = 0; i < pObjs->Length; i++ ) {
Console::Write("Service Priority = ");
Console::WriteLine(static_cast<Job^>(pObjs[i])->Priority);
Console::Write("Service Access = ");
Console::WriteLine(static_cast<Job^>(pObjs[i])->m_Access);
}
}
Service Priority = 0
Service Access = Write
Service Priority = 3
Service Access = Write
Service Priority = 1
Service Access = Read
The Object^ type replaces the variant data type. The following example defines a custom attribute that takes an array of Object^ as parameters.
Attribute arguments must be compile-time constants; in most cases, they should be constant literals.
See typeid for information on how to return a value of System::Type from a custom attribute block.
// extending_metadata_e.cpp
// compile with: /clr /c
using namespace System;
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets::Class | AttributeTargets::Method)]
public ref class AnotherAttr : public Attribute {
public:
AnotherAttr(array<Object^>^) {}
array<Object^>^ var1;
};
// applying the attribute
[ AnotherAttr( gcnew array<Object ^> { 3.14159, "pi" }, var1 = gcnew array<Object ^> { "a", "b" } ) ]
public ref class SomeClass {};
The runtime requires that the public part of the custom attribute class must be serializable. When authoring custom attributes, named arguments of your custom attribute are limited to compile-time constants. (Think of it as a sequence of bits appended to your class layout in the metadata.)
// extending_metadata_f.cpp
// compile with: /clr /c
using namespace System;
ref struct abc {};
[AttributeUsage( AttributeTargets::All )]
ref struct A : Attribute {
A( Type^ ) {}
A( String ^ ) {}
A( int ) {}
};
[A( abc::typeid )]
ref struct B {};