Question

I’ve been playing around with some c# extensions lately and I have a question. I made a ‘ForEach’ extension for IEnumerables (List has one from Linq, though none exists for IEnumerables.) It’s a very simple one:

public static void ForEach<T> (this IEnumerable<T> source, Action<T> action)
{
    foreach (T element in source) {
        action(element);
    }
}

And you call it like MyArray.ForEach(element=>element.ElementMethod());

Though now I was wondering, can I take it one step further and make it something like: MyArray.ForEach(ElementMethod);?

Edit: Already some interesting answers, though I was trying something like this:

public static void CallOnEach<T> (this IEnumerable<T> source, Action action)
{
    foreach (T element in source) {
        element.action();
    }
}

Of course the compiler can’t know that ‘action’ is a method of T, so this doesn’t work 🙁 Perhaps there’s a way to ensure the compiler of this? Something like public static void CallOnEach<T> (this IEnumerable<T> source, Action action) where action isFunctionOf T

Thanks!

Answer 1

If ElementMethod is of type Action<T> you can use it right now with your extension. And it is the same like static void method of type T:

public static void ElementMethod<T>(T parameter){}

//or

public static void ElementMethod(MyElement element){}

But there is no way how to make it more generic. You can’t call some method on your element without reference to it.

IMHO: There is no big deal. You are saving just few characters.

MyArray.ForEach(e=>e.ElementMethod());
MyArray.ForEach(ElementMethod);1234567 - // characters saved ;-)