C# How do I reference static classes?

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Could someone please explain briefly how I create a static variable in a static class

In my code below I can create the Document and Element varaibales fine,
So how do I create a varaible from a static class that I have created?

C#

public static class Settings
{
    public static FileInfo Database;
    public static XmlDocument Document;
    private static XmlElement Element;
}

public static class FileInfo
{
    public static string Location;
    public static DateTime Date;
}

The reason is simply to understand the static process further.

Thanks for your answers.

Posted 27-Mar-13 23:45pm

Grant Mc

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Grant Mc 28-Mar-13 6:22am

OK, still a little confused. I now have this

public partial class Form1:Form
{
public void Test()
{
Settings.Database.Location = "Test"; // This produces a error
}

public static class Settings
{
public static FileInfo Database;
public static XmlDocument Document;
private static XmlElement Element;
}

public class FileInfo
{
public string Location = "Test";
public DateTime Date;
}

But it produces a runtime error
System.NullReferenceException

Why is it doing this please?

Grant Mc 28-Mar-13 6:40am

Figured it out.

I thought that because it was static that I did not have to do
Database = new FileInfo()

Thanks for everyone's assistance.
I have learned something for today.

2 solutions

Solution 2

static (C# Reference)[^]

Posted 28-Mar-13 0:00am

José Amílcar Casimiro

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Ian A Davidson · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-27T23:51:00

Solution 1

You can't create an instance of a static class. The whole reason it is static is because you don't need to do so, since all properties and methods are static.

I suspect you want to make FileInfo non-static (and its properties as well).

Regards,
Ian.

P.S. I would add that the System.IO namespace has a class called FileInfo, which you might want to consider using instead. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-GB/library/system.io.fileinfo.aspx[^]

Posted 27-Mar-13 23:51pm

Ian A Davidson

Updated 27-Mar-13 23:55pm

v2

Comments

Grant Mc 28-Mar-13 5:59am

So why am I allowed to to create an instance of the XmlDocument etc?

Thanks for your assistance.

Zoltán Zörgő 28-Mar-13 6:01am

Settings.Document = new XmlDocument(....

Ian A Davidson 28-Mar-13 6:04am

Because XmlDocument is not a static class.