从非泛型基类调用泛型方法/委托

Question

I have the feeling I'm not looking at this issue from the right angle here, and I'm just not thinking of other solution.

Assuming this generic class;

public abstract class Port<T>
{
    public delegate T PullDelegate();

    private PullDelegate pull;

    public Port(PullDelegate pull)
    {
        this.pull = pull;
    }

    public T Pull()
    {
        return pull();
    }
}

It is used to define "ports" in a graph-node editor. A port can transfer a object/value from one node to another, but they also need to be "type-safe", which means I cannot plug any port to another of the wrong type (at least not without some conversion).

The node "owns" a port and give it a delegate towards one of its method so when another node "pull" on a value, the port simply invokes it and returns the proper value.

My issue starts when I'm trying to call Pull() from a non-generic collection. Obviously, I could make a non-generic base method, but then Pull could not return T , it would need to return object .

Also, each nodes have collection accessors for their ports so the other items can get them. That collect has to be non-generic because a node can have many ports of many type.

    public abstract Port[] Inputs { get; }
    public abstract Port[] Outputs { get; }
    public abstract Port[] Entries { get; }
    public abstract Port[] Exits { get; }

The moment the non-generic type get into play, everything generic become inaccessible. If only Port<>[] would be a thing.

I'm feeling like I'm missing something...

Answer 1

Make Port<T> implement the non-generic interface IPort using explicit implementations. In that way it's hidden from the API but still allow you to invoke methods in the generic classes.

public interface IPort
{
    object SomeAction(object data);
}

public class Port<T> : IPort
{
    //[.. all other methods ..]


    object IPort.SomeAction(object data)
    {
        var typedData = (T)data;
        //invoke our typed version.
        return SomeAction(data);
    }

    public T SomeAction(T data)
    {
         // ...
    }
}