Question

GetType() returns null when the type exists in an unreferenced assembly. For example, when the following is called ‘localType’ is always null (even when using the full namespace name of the class):

Type localType = Type.GetType('NamespaceX.ProjectX.ClassX'); 

I don’t see any reason why Type.GetType shouldn’t be able to retrieve a type from an unreferenced assembly, so

How can the type of an unreferenced assembly be retrieved?

Answer 1

Use LoadFrom to load the unreferenced assembly from it’s location. And then call GetType.

Assembly assembly = Assembly.LoadFrom('c:\ProjectX\bin\release\ProjectX.dll'); Type type = assembly.GetType('NamespaceX.ProjectX.ClassX'); 

If the assembly to load is in the private path of the assembly you’re loading from (like ‘c:\ProjectY\bin\release\ProjectX.dll’), you can use Load.

Assembly assembly = Assembly.Load('ProjectX.dll'); Type type = assembly.GetType('NamespaceX.ProjectX.ClassX');