This might be a trivial question, but I didn't find any information about this: is it "harmful" or considered bad practice to make a type T implement IComparable<S> (T and S being two different types)?
Example:
class Foo : IComparable<int>
{
public int CompareTo(int other)
{
if (other < i) return -1;
if (other > i) return 1;
return 0;
}
private int i;
}
Should this kind of code be avoided, and if yes, why?
I would at least consider it "odd" - in particular at that point the comparison isn't going to be symmetric, which is usually part of normal comparison contracts.
If there's a particular situation where it's simpler than any other implementation of what you want to do, that would be okay - but I can't say I've ever come across such a situation. Comparisons like this are almost always used for sorting a homogeneous collection or something similar.
Did you have a particular situation in mind, or is it just a "for interest" question?