A small library for dynamically adding attached properties to any existing instance without creating a derived type. It works similar in nature to WPF's attached dependency properties however it can be used on any type and not just types deriving from DependencyObject.
Install-Package AttachedProperties
public class Example
{
public AttachedProperty<string, Color> ForegroundColor =
new AttachedProperty<string, Color>(nameof(ForegroundColor));
public void SomeMethod()
{
var text = "Some value";
text.SetAttachedValue(ForegroundColor, Color.White);
WriteLineWithColor(text);
}
public void WriteLineWithColor(string text)
{
var foregroundColor = text.GetAttachedValue(ForegroundColor);
Console.ForegoundColor = foregroundColor;
Console.WriteLine(text);
}
}
There are some situations when there is a need to add additional state to an existing instance. In most cases it is possible to add a property either directtly to the class or in a derived class. But this is not always possible, for example:
- Class defintion is sealed and/or in a third party library (inclding .NET Framework) and cannot be changed.
- The creation of the instance where additional state is needed is not possible to change and there are other dependencies which are not expecting changes to the instance.
- Where there is no wish to change the class since the attached property is just used in a very specific part of the solution.