TypeDescriptor.GetProperties() vs Type.GetProperties()

c# reflection types typedescriptor
Eric Anastas picture Eric Anastas · Sep 9, 2009 · Viewed 20k times · Source

Consider the following code.

Object obj;
PropertyDescriptorCollection A = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(obj);
PropertyInfo[] B = obj.GetType().GetProperties();

I'm trying to understand the difference between A and B. From what I understand TypeDescriptor.GetProperties() will return custom TypeDescriptor properties, where as Type.GetProperties() will only return intrinsic "real" properties of the object. Is this right? If obj doesn't have any custom TypeDescriptor properties then it just defaults to also returning the literal intrinsic properties of the object.

Answer

Adam Robinson picture Adam Robinson · Sep 9, 2009

obj.GetType().GetProperties() does not return a PropertyDescriptorCollection, it returns a System.Reflection.PropertyInfo[]. The PropertyInfo class does, as you suggest, represent only actual properties created on the object. A PropertyDescriptor is either a custom concrete child of the PropertyDescriptor class (implemented by the type defining the custom descriptor), or is an instance of the sealed internal class ReflectPropertyDescriptor that uses the PropertyInfo class to provide dynamic invocation of the property.

So for a class that does not define a custom descriptor, you will functionally get the same objects back, though the PropertyDescriptor is abstracting away the PropertyInfo.

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