'namespace' but is used like a 'type'

Question

My program uses a class called Time2. I have the reference added to TimeTest but I keep getting the error, 'Time2' is a 'namespace' but is used like a 'type'.

Could someone please tell me what this error is and how to fix it?

    namespace TimeTest
    {
      class TimeTest
      {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Time2 t1 = new Time2();
        }
      }
    }

Recessive

You have type TimeTest.TimeTest (and others like it). Don't do that. Don't name a type the same as its namespace, you create ambiguity errors. – Hauge

For more info, see: blogs.msdn.com/b/ericlippert/archive/2010/03/09/… – Hauge

You really should add a (stripped down) declaration of Time2 to this question, since that's probably where the problem lie. Most likely you've got Time2 defined in a namespace called Time2 – Bookbinder

TheAce, please next time try to provide minimal sample that reproduces the problem. I've remove lines that are not necessary, please add Time2 definition to make it complete. – Goat

Answer 1

I suspect you've got the same problem at least twice.

Here:

    namespace TimeTest
    {
        class TimeTest
        {
    }

... you're declaring a type with the same name as the namespace it's in. Don't do that.

Now you apparently have the same problem with Time2. I suspect if you add:

    using Time2;

to your list of using directives, your code will compile. But please, please, please fix the bigger problem: the problematic choice of names. (Follow the link above to find out more details of why it's a bad idea.)

(Additionally, unless you're really interested in writing time-based types, I'd advise you not to do so... and I say that as someone who does do exactly that. Use the built-in capabilities, or a third party library such as, um, mine. Working with dates and times correctly is surprisingly hairy. :)

Twine

I changed the namespace name and fixed the problem. That is really odd because it is the default code generated by VS2019. – Osmose

@TimMelton: Well it'll be the default if you've picked the namespace name TimeTest and then picked the class name TimeTest as well. You'd have to pick both of them the same... – Twine

I see the problem now. the video I was watching had me create a folder named Controller to put the Controller files in. This is where Controller in the namespace came from. VS auto appends the folder name onto the namespace. Removing the word Controller after the Namespace fixes the problem. – Osmose

That fixed it! thanks. sometimes Visual Studio displays some misleading error messages which can be frustrating. – Jittery

In my case I somehow managed to pull in a reference to an old library that had this overlapping name problem which I thought I had killed with fire years ago. – Autotomy

Visual Studio 2017-2019 -> little trick I discovered, you can go to the properties of your project, change default namespace to something else and the entire project will update all the namepsace references in your classes to the new one. – Varro

I also found this behaviour in a c# tutorial from Microsoft documentation. I had to look twice to notice that the namespace is not "namespace ProjectName.FolderWithTheError" but only was using "namespace ProjectName" – Directly

@JonSkeet Hi! The "Don't do that" link is broken. – Pettit

Answer 2

namespace TestApplication // Remove .Controller
{
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
       public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return View();
        }
    }
}

Remove the controller word from namepsace

Kuehl

Flagged as not an answer, I edited it when I haven't read the question – Rooney

When you try to inherit from Controller class in Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc namespace, if your folder is called Controller, and not Controller"s", you have the final namespace as Controller wich throws an error because of the namespace's name. This answer is correct and helped me to see that I've given the wrong name to the folder Controllers in my project. – Newcastle

This fixed my problem. Thanks for the very clear answer! – Hamner

Shortcut and very clear answer thanks for fixed my error!! – Sadler

Check all the files that might have the word "Controller" in the namespace. In my case, one single file in the namespace said "Controller" instead of "Controllers" as the folder name is. One single file with a typo here could break the rest. – Eurus

Answer 3

The class TimeTest is conflicting with namespace TimeTest.

If you can't change the namespace and the class name:

Create an alias for the class type.

using TimeTest_t = TimeTest.TimeTest;

TimeTest_t s = new TimeTest_t();

Toolis

This was not working for me placing the using statement at the top of my file. The using statement has to be INSIDE the namespace of the class. – Carboni

Answer 4

All the answers indicate the cause, but sometimes the bigger problem is identifying all the places that define an improper namespace. With tools like Resharper that automatically adjust the namespace using the folder structure, it is rather easy to encounter this issue.

You can get all the lines that create the issue by searching in project / solution using the following regex:

namespace .+\.TheNameUsedAsBothNamespaceAndType

Adventist

Answer 5

If you're working on a big app and can't change any names, you can type a . to select the type you want from the namespace:

namespace Company.Core.Context{
  public partial class Context : Database Context {
    ...
  }
}
...

using Company.Core.Context;
someFunction(){
 var c = new Context.Context();
}

Guadalajara

Answer 6

I had this problem as I created a class "Response.cs" inside a folder named "Response". So VS was catching the new Response () as Folder/namespace.

So I changed the class name to StatusResponse.cs and called new StatusResponse().This solved the issue.

Aloha

Answer 7

The situation arose due to the naming of the folder and the class with identical names. Consequently, there was a confusion between the namespace and the class name.

namespace CSEData.Scrapper.UnitOfWork
    {
        public class UnitOfWork
        {
            Task<int> Commit(){};
            void Dispose(){};
        }
    }

look at the namespace, it's "UnitOfWork". and look at the class name , it's also "UnitOfWork" so i have changed the namespace name (in my case folder name) to "UnitOfWorks"

Owain

There are eleven existing answers to this question, including a top-voted, accepted answer with over one hundred votes. Are you certain your solution hasn't already been given? If not, why do you believe your approach improves upon the existing proposals, which have been validated by the community? Offering an explanation is always useful on Stack Overflow, but it's especially important where the question has been resolved to the satisfaction of both the OP and the community. Help readers out by explaining what your answer does different and when it might be preferred. – Gabbey

Answer 8

If you are here for EF Core related issues, here's the tip:

Name your Migration's subfolder differently than the Database Context's name.

This will solve it for you.

My error was something like this: ModelSnapshot.cs error CS0118: Context is a namespace but is used like a type

Interpret

Answer 9

Please check that your class and namespace name is the same...

It happens when the namespace and class name are the same. do one thing write the full name of the namespace when you want to use the namespace.

using Student.Models.Db;

namespace Student.Controllers
{
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        // GET: Home
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            List<Student> student = null;
            return View();
        }
    }

Replica

Answer 10

Try avoiding give same namespace name to an Entity for example you will get the error if you have a name spaced used like below and your try to call an Entity with Product as entity name

below is namepace somewhere is your code

Company.Project.APPLICATION.Product.Commands

below code will give you 'Product' is a 'namespace' but is used like a 'type'

Product product = new Product()

so try to rename your entity or your name space.

Marquita

Answer 11

namespace Test //Remove .Controller

{ public class HomeController : Controller { public IActionResult Index() { return View(); } } }

//It's a great idea..

Skelp

Thank you for contributing to the Stack Overflow community. This may be a correct answer, but it’d be really useful to provide additional explanation of your code so developers can understand your reasoning. This is especially useful for new developers who aren’t as familiar with the syntax or struggling to understand the concepts. Would you kindly edit your answer to include additional details for the benefit of the community? – Gabbey

Answer 12

You made a mistake because your namespace and class names are the same.

   namespace  MySpace
{
    class MyClass
    {
}

To resolve this issue, you need to use the actual type that's defined inside the MySpace namespace, assuming there's a class or a type defined within it that you intend to use. For example:

MySpace.MyClass myUser = new MySpace.MyClass();

Ailanthus

There are twelve answers already, one that’s been highly validated by the community, points out this problem, and provides a solution. What’s the point of adding another answer here? – Gabbey

Sometimes, a complex issue benefits from multiple explanations. Your answer might break down the problem more simply or clearly, aiding those struggling to understand. Sharing personal experiences or real-life examples can resonate with readers and offer practical insights that other answers might lack. – Ailanthus

Answer 13

if the error is

Line 26:
Line 27: @foreach (Customers customer in Model) Line 28: { Line 29:

give the full name space
like @foreach (Start.Models.customer customer in Model)

Refrain