With C# 11 and .NET 7 we can define static members in interfaces, but why is it that the class which implements this interface
public interface IHasInstance<T>
{
static T Instance { get; set; }
}
isn't enforced to have a static property name Interface such as
internal static MyClass Instance { get; } = new();
EDIT: I actually wanted to know how to enforce implementing the static member defined in the interface and I wasn't aware I have to use the abstract
modifier to make it work that way.
Because static T Instance { get; set; }
is not a part of an interface contract, it is part of (yep, it sounds strange, but) interface implementation: ability to specify static fields, methods, properties, indexers, and events was added in C# 8 with default implementations in interfaces feature:
The syntax for an interface is extended to permit
- ...
- member declarations that declare static fields, methods, properties, indexers, and events;
- ...
Interfaces may not contain instance state. While static fields are now permitted, instance fields are not permitted in interfaces. Instance auto-properties are not supported in interfaces, as they would implicitly declare a hidden field.
Note that the main goal of this particular addition is:
Static and private methods permit useful refactoring and organization of code used to implement the interface's public API.
C# 11 actually has another feature added which allows to achieve your goal - abstract static members in interfaces:
public interface IHaveInstance<T>
{
static abstract T Instance { get; set; }
}
class Bar : IHaveInstance<Bar>
{
// now is required
public static Bar Instance { get; set; } = new();
}
Another feature added with C# 11 in .NET 7 is generic math which actually heavily utilizes abstract static members.