TypeConverterAttribute Class

Definition

Namespace:

System.ComponentModel

Assembly:

System.ObjectModel.dll

Source:

TypeConverterAttribute.cs

Specifies what type to use as a converter for the object this attribute is bound to.

public ref class TypeConverterAttribute sealed : Attribute

[System.AttributeUsage(System.AttributeTargets.All)]
public sealed class TypeConverterAttribute : Attribute

[<System.AttributeUsage(System.AttributeTargets.All)>]
type TypeConverterAttribute = class
    inherit Attribute

Public NotInheritable Class TypeConverterAttribute
Inherits Attribute

Inheritance

Object

Attribute

TypeConverterAttribute

Attributes

AttributeUsageAttribute

Examples

The following example declares MyClass to use the type converter called MyClassConverter. This example assumes that MyClassConverter has been implemented elsewhere. The class implementing the converter (MyClassConverter) must inherit from the TypeConverter class.

[TypeConverter(Class1::MyClassConverter::typeid)]
ref class MyClass{
   // Insert code here.
};

[TypeConverter(typeof(MyClassConverter))]
 public class MyClass {
    // Insert code here.
 }

<TypeConverter(GetType(MyClassConverter))> _
Public Class ClassA
    ' Insert code here.
End Class

The next example creates an instance of MyClass. Then it gets the attributes for the class, and prints the name of the type converter used by MyClass.

int main()
{
   // Creates a new instance of MyClass.
   Class1::MyClass^ myNewClass = gcnew Class1::MyClass;

   // Gets the attributes for the instance.
   AttributeCollection^ attributes = TypeDescriptor::GetAttributes( myNewClass );

   /* Prints the name of the type converter by retrieving the 
        * TypeConverterAttribute from the AttributeCollection. */
   TypeConverterAttribute^ myAttribute = dynamic_cast<TypeConverterAttribute^>(attributes[ TypeConverterAttribute::typeid ]);
   Console::WriteLine( "The type converter for this class is: {0}", myAttribute->ConverterTypeName );
   return 0;
}

public static int Main() {
    // Creates a new instance of MyClass.
    MyClass myNewClass = new MyClass();
 
    // Gets the attributes for the instance.
    AttributeCollection attributes = TypeDescriptor.GetAttributes(myNewClass);
 
    /* Prints the name of the type converter by retrieving the 
     * TypeConverterAttribute from the AttributeCollection. */
    TypeConverterAttribute myAttribute = 
        (TypeConverterAttribute)attributes[typeof(TypeConverterAttribute)];
    
    Console.WriteLine("The type conveter for this class is: " + 
        myAttribute.ConverterTypeName);
 
    return 0;
 }

Public Shared Function Main() As Integer
    ' Creates a new instance of ClassA.
    Dim myNewClass As New ClassA()
    
    ' Gets the attributes for the instance.
    Dim attributes As AttributeCollection = TypeDescriptor.GetAttributes(myNewClass)
    
    ' Prints the name of the type converter by retrieving the
    ' TypeConverterAttribute from the AttributeCollection. 
    Dim myAttribute As TypeConverterAttribute = _
        CType(attributes(GetType(TypeConverterAttribute)), TypeConverterAttribute)
    
    Console.WriteLine(("The type conveter for this class is: " _
        + myAttribute.ConverterTypeName))
    Return 0
End Function 'Main

Remarks

The class you use for conversion must inherit from TypeConverter. Use the ConverterTypeName property to get the name of the class that provides the data conversion for the object this attribute is bound to.

For more information about attributes, see Attributes. For more information about type converters, see the TypeConverter base class and How to: Implement a Type Converter.

In order to establish a type converter on a custom class that provides type conversion behavior for XAML, you apply the TypeConverterAttribute attribute to your type. The argument of the attribute references your type converter implementation. Your type converter should be able to accept values from a string that is used for attributes or initialization text in XAML markup, and convert that string into your intended destination type. For more information, see TypeConverters and XAML.

Rather than applying to all values of a type, a type converter behavior for XAML can also be established on a specific property. In this case, you apply TypeConverterAttribute to the property definition (the outer definition, not the specific get and set definitions).

A type converter behavior for XAML usage of a custom attachable member can be assigned by applying TypeConverterAttribute to the get method accessor that supports the XAML usage. For more information, see Attached Properties Overview.

For complex XAML serialization cases that require additional state from the object runtime, consider defining a value serializer in addition to a type converter, and attribute both support classes on your custom types or custom members. For more information, see ValueSerializer.

Constructors

TypeConverterAttribute()	Initializes a new instance of the TypeConverterAttribute class with the default type converter, which is an empty string ("").
TypeConverterAttribute(String)	Initializes a new instance of the TypeConverterAttribute class, using the specified type name as the data converter for the object this attribute is bound to.
TypeConverterAttribute(Type)	Initializes a new instance of the TypeConverterAttribute class, using the specified type as the data converter for the object this attribute is bound to.

Fields

Default

Specifies the type to use as a converter for the object this attribute is bound to.

Properties

ConverterTypeName	Gets the fully qualified type name of the Type to use as a converter for the object this attribute is bound to.
TypeId	When implemented in a derived class, gets a unique identifier for this Attribute. (Inherited from Attribute)

Methods

Equals(Object)	Returns whether the value of the given object is equal to the current TypeConverterAttribute.
GetHashCode()	Returns the hash code for this instance.
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
IsDefaultAttribute()	When overridden in a derived class, indicates whether the value of this instance is the default value for the derived class. (Inherited from Attribute)
Match(Object)	When overridden in a derived class, returns a value that indicates whether this instance equals a specified object. (Inherited from Attribute)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
ToString()	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object)

See also

• TypeConverter
• XAML-related CLR attributes for custom types and libraries
• Define custom types for use with .NET XAML Services
• XAML Services