Compiler Error CS0592

Attribute 'attribute' is not valid on this declaration type. It is valid on 'type' declarations only.

When you define an attribute, you define what constructs it can be applied to by specifying an AttributeTargets value. In the following example, the MyAttribute attribute can be applied to interfaces only, because the AttributeUsage attribute specifies AttributeTargets.Iterface. The error is generated because the attribute is applied to a class (class A).

Example

The following sample generates CS0592:

// CS0592.cs
using System;

[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Interface)]
public class MyAttribute : Attribute 
{
}

[MyAttribute]
// Generates CS0592 because MyAttribute is not valid for a class. 
public class A  
{
    public static void Main()
    {
    }
}

See Also

Reference

Attributes (C# Programming Guide)

Change History

Date	History	Reason
September 2008	Added information to the introduction.	Customer feedback.