How Can I Use Reflection in C# to Invoke a Static Method on a Class Given Its Name as a String?

Dynamically Accessing and Invoking Static C# Methods via Reflection

Imagine you have a class name stored as a string (e.g., "MyClass") and need to call one of its static methods. Reflection provides the mechanism to achieve this dynamic behavior. This guide demonstrates how to use reflection to retrieve a class reference from its string name and subsequently invoke a static method.

Using Type.GetType for Class Retrieval

The Type.GetType method is the key to accessing the class dynamically. It takes the fully qualified class name as a string and returns a Type object representing that class:

<code class="language-csharp">Type classType = Type.GetType("MyClass"); </code>

Method Invocation Using Reflection

Once you have the Type object, you can use GetMethod to obtain a MethodInfo object representing the static method you wish to invoke:

<code class="language-csharp">MethodInfo methodInfo = classType.GetMethod("MyStaticMethod", BindingFlags.Static | BindingFlags.Public);</code>

This retrieves the method named "MyStaticMethod," ensuring it's a public static method. The BindingFlags specify the search criteria.

Finally, invoke the method using Invoke:

<code class="language-csharp">methodInfo.Invoke(null, null); // null for static method, null for no parameters</code>

For methods with parameters, pass an array of objects as the second argument to Invoke.

Important Considerations:

• Assembly Loading: Ensure the assembly containing the class is loaded into the application domain.
• Error Handling: Wrap the reflection calls in try-catch blocks to handle potential exceptions (e.g., TypeLoadException, MethodNotFoundException).
• Access Modifiers: Respect the access modifiers (public, private, etc.) of the class and its methods. You might need to adjust the BindingFlags accordingly.

By employing these techniques, you can unlock the power of dynamic method invocation in C#, enabling flexible and adaptable applications.

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