Question

Can I do something like this? (Over-simplified because it’s too complex)

abstract class A {
  public string Print() {}

  public static string DoPrint(A a, Type T) {
    ((T)a).Print(); // <-- This should call eg. A3.Print(), not A.Print()
  }
}

class A1: A {
  public new string Print() {}
}

class A2: A {

}

class A3: A {
  public new string Print() {}
}

class Somewhere
{
  A3 a3 = new A3();
  a3.DoPrint();
}

I have many classes (A1, A2, A3, and so on) that inherits from a base class (A)

I am trying to create the DoPrint() function above in class A.
Can it be done?

I tried this

  public static string DoPrint(A a) {
    a.Print();
  }

but it calls A.Print(), not A3.Print()

EDIT: Changed the title from “Pass a type as parameter?” because everyone was right, I could just use virtual (thank you!). The problem lied somewhere else, irrelevant to this question.

Answer 1

What’s wrong with normal virtual methods and inheritance?? Look at the use of virtual and override:

abstract class A { 
 public virtual string Print() {} 

  public static string DoPrint(A a) { 
     a.Print(); // <-- This WILL call eg. A3.Print(), not A.Print() 
  } 
} 

class A1 : A
{
    public override string Print() {}
}

class A2 : A
{
    public override string Print() {}
}
class A3 : A
{
    public override string Print() {}
}