Programming C#

Intrinsic Attributes

Attributes come in two flavors: intrinsic and custom . Intrinsic attributes are supplied as part of the Common Language Runtime (CLR), and they are integrated into .NET. Custom attributes are attributes you create for your own purposes.

Most programmers will use only intrinsic attributes, though custom attributes can be a powerful tool when combined with reflection, described later in this chapter.

Attribute Targets

If you search through the CLR, you’ll find a great many attributes. Some attributes are applied to an assembly, others to a class or interface, and some, such as [WebMethod], to class members. These are called the attribute targets. Possible attribute targets are detailed in Table 18-1.

Table 18-1. Possible attribute targets

Member Name	Usage
All	Applied to any of the following elements: assembly, class, class member, delegate, enum, event, field, interface, method, module, parameter, property, return value, or struct
Assembly	Applied to the assembly itself
Class	Applied to instances of the class
ClassMembers	Applied to classes, structs, enums, constructors, methods, properties, fields, events, delegates, and interfaces
Constructor	Applied to a given constructor
Delegate	Applied to the delegated method
Enum	Applied to an enumeration
Event	Applied to an event
Field	Applied to a field
Interface	Applied to an interface
Method	Applied to a method
Module	Applied to a single module