Question

So for complex types, we can write:

return new MyType ( 5 ); 

but why can’t we do stuff like (to have symmetry for one):

return new int ( 5 );  return new Int64 ( 5 ); 

I know only parameterless constructors are provided. What’s the reason for this?

Answer 1

What would be the point? Any of the .NET value types that don’t have a constructor have a literal form. If they didn’t have a literal form, it would be impossible to provide a constructor that takes its type as a parameter.

Since you have the literal, providing a constructor which takes that literal makes no sense.

Without literal, impossible

int i = new int(new int(new int(...))); 

With literal

int i = new int(5); // What is the point? Would the constructor do *anything*                     // besides int i = 5?