Inheriting a C# class that has only a private constructor

Question

I'd like to subclass the XMLUnit.NET CompareConstraint class in my F# code.

However, that class only has a single private constructor. If I try to inherit it, I get this compile error:

This 'inherit' declaration specifies the inherited type but no arguments. Consider supplying arguments, e.g. 'inherit BaseType(args)'.

Is there any way to inherit a class without a public constructor in F#?

I would add that preventing inheritance is the whole point of having a private constructor. Whoever made that class specificlly didn't want you to inherit from it. — Fyodor Soikin, Oct 07 '16 at 14:37
Yeah, that makes sense. @ildjarn: if you want to put your comment into an answer, I'll accept it. — Eero Helenius, Oct 07 '16 at 14:44

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 07 '16 at 14:48

6

This is not an F# limitation – it is not possible to inherit from a type with only private constructors in any .NET language.

answered Oct 07 '16 at 14:48

ildjarn

1 Answers1