Simple code that I expect List<int>'s GenericTypeDefinition to contain a generic interface of ICollection<>. Yet I can't derive an acceptable type from List<int> which allows me to compare them properly.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
public class Test
{
public static void Main()
{
var a = typeof(List<int>);
var b = typeof(ICollection<>);
var r1 = a.GetGenericTypeDefinition().GetInterfaces();
foreach (var x in r1)
{
Console.WriteLine(x);
}
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine(b);
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine(r1.Any(x => x == b));
}
}
Output
System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.IReadOnlyList`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.IReadOnlyCollection`1[T]
System.Collections.IEnumerable
System.Collections.Generic.IList`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1[T]
System.Collections.ICollection
System.Collections.IList
System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1[T]
False
I would have expected that r1 contained a type that was equal to b.
EDIT
Fixed, Jon Skeet gave me the right insight into what was happening.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
public class Test
{
public static void Main()
{
var a = typeof(List<int>);
var b = typeof(ICollection<>);
var r1 = a.GetInterfaces()
.Where(x => x.IsGenericType)
.Select(x => x.GetGenericTypeDefinition());
foreach (var x in r1)
{
Console.WriteLine(x);
}
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine(b);
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine(r1.Contains(b));
}
}
Output
System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.IReadOnlyList`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.IReadOnlyCollection`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.IList`1[T]
System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1[T]
True

No, the generic type definition will refer to ICollection<T> specifically, where T is the type parameter for the IList<T>.
Imagine you had something like:
public class Foo<T1, T2> : IEnumerable<T1>, IComparable<T2>
The generic type definition contains all that information - it "knows" that it's specifically IEnumerable<T1> and IComparable<T2>, not IEnumerable<T2> and IComparable<T1> for example.
You can fix the check by getting the generic type definition for each of the interfaces implemented by the type:
Console.WriteLine(r1.Any(x => x.IsGenericType &&
x.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == b));
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