System.Reflection
The Type class provides a way to access and examine metadata about types. The System.Reflection namespace provides classes and interfaces that allow you to inspect and manipulate the metadata of types at runtime.
Key Concepts
- Metadata: Metadata is data about data. In the context of .NET, metadata describes the properties, methods, fields, and other characteristics of types.
- Runtime Inspection:
ReflectionAssembly,ReflectionType, and related classes enable you to examine and modify type information at runtime. - Type Providers: .NET uses type providers to locate and load types. The runtime uses different type providers to load types from various sources, such as assemblies, dynamic assemblies, and .NET Framework assemblies.
Common Uses
- Dynamic Assembly Loading: Load assemblies dynamically at runtime.
- Dependency Injection: Configure dependencies based on type information.
- Serialization and Deserialization: Inspect object types during serialization and deserialization.
- Object Instantiation: Create instances of classes based on type information.