Is there a concept of private or protected inheritance in C#?

Other Questions Notion
1

Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out if C# supports private or protected inheritance like C++ does. I’m working on a project where I want to create a servlet-like setup in an ASPX page, but I don’t want the child class to access the internals of the parent class.

In C++, we can do something like this:

class MyClass : private ParentClass {
public:
    // Class implementation
};

But when I try to do something similar in C#, I get an error:

public class CustomServlet : private BasePageClass
{
    // Compiler throws an error here
}

Is there a way to achieve this in C#? If not, what’s the reasoning behind it? Any insights would be super helpful. Thanks!

2

C# indeed doesn’t support private or protected inheritance. This design choice stems from the language’s focus on simplicity and reducing complexity in inheritance hierarchies. In my experience, I’ve found that the lack of private inheritance rarely poses a significant problem in real-world scenarios.

For your specific case with servlets, you might consider using interfaces or abstract classes to define a contract that your CustomServlet must adhere to, without exposing unnecessary internals. This approach has worked well for me in similar situations:

public abstract class BasePageClass
{
    protected abstract void ProcessRequest();
    // Other common functionality
}

public class CustomServlet : BasePageClass
{
    protected override void ProcessRequest()
    {
        // Implementation
    }
}

This way, you maintain a clear hierarchy while controlling access to internal elements.

3

C# duznt have private/protected inheritance. i’d suggest using interfaces or abstract classes to control access. Like:

public interface IBasePageClass {
    void ProcessRequest();
}

public class CustomServlet : IBasePageClass {
    public void ProcessRequest() {
        // Implementation
    }
}

This way u can define what’s exposed without full inheritance.

4

I’ve actually encountered this issue in my own C# projects. Unlike C++, C# doesn’t support private or protected inheritance. The reasoning behind this is that C# aims for simplicity and clarity in its object model.

Instead of private inheritance, you might want to consider composition. This approach allows you to achieve similar encapsulation without the complexities of private inheritance. For example:

public class CustomServlet
{
    private BasePageClass _basePage = new BasePageClass();
    
    // Implement methods as needed, delegating to _basePage
}

This way, you maintain control over what’s exposed from BasePageClass. It’s not a direct replacement for private inheritance, but it’s often a cleaner solution in C#. In my experience, this pattern has been more maintainable and easier for team members to understand.