How can I retrieve the namespace to a string C#

Question

I am writing a program which needs the namespace of the program but I cant seem to figure out how to retrieve it. I would like the end result to be in a string.

I was able to find an MSDN page about this topic but it proved to be unhelpful to myself. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.type.namespace.aspx

Any help would be appreciated. The program is written in C#.

EDIT: Sorry guys, this is not a console application.

Joan

I don't understand clearly your question. Why don't you just write the namespace of your program where you want? Is it somehow changing? – Galah

@IllidanS4: This is a very valid question. Hard-coding the namespace in a string in the program is a recipe for disaster - sooner or later someone will change the namespace and forget or be unaware that it is also encoded in the program, and then it will fail. – Presurmise

Use case: embedded resources in an assembly have the path prefixed by the namespace. The answer below gives a strongly typed way of finding that prefix. – Strenuous

Answer 1

This should work:

var myType = typeof(MyClass);
var n = myType.Namespace;

Write out to the console:

Type myType = typeof(MyClass);
Console.WriteLine("Namespace: {0}.", myType.Namespace);

Setting a WinForm label:

Type myType = typeof(MyClass);
namespaceLabel.Text = myType.Namespace;

Or create a method in the relevant class and use anywhere:

public string GetThisNamespace()
{
   return GetType().Namespace;
}

Bendigo

It's unfortunately not a console application so the significance of the {0} in the line: Console.WriteLine(" Namespace: {0}.", myType.Namespace); is unknown to me. – Joan

Ok, what type of application is it? – Bendigo

The WriteLine is not the essential part her. Use string.Format() and move on. – Gonococcus

It's a windows forms application. – Joan

@ElliotAmes myType.Namespace in this case is a string – Flagging

A drawback to this approach is that moving a method to a different namespace requires you to remember to update the param passed to typeof(). – Pistole

Answer 2

To add to all the answers.

Since C# 6.0 there is the nameof keyword.

string name = nameof(MyNamespace);

This has several advantages:

1. The name is resolved at compile-time
2. The name will change when refactoring the namespace
3. It is syntax checked, so the name must exist
4. cleaner code

Note: This doesn't give the full namespace though. In this case, name will be equal to Bar:

namespace Foo.Bar
{
   string name = nameof(Foo.Bar);
}

Directions

As it currently stands, this answer is misleading as it will only work with single segment namespaces. – Flocky

@ThePademelon, technically it does. If you want the names of the namespaces which contain the namespace you reference, maybe do something like $"{nameof(ns1)}.{nameof(ns2)}" – Jeffery

A drawback to this approach is that moving a method to a different namespace requires you to remember to update the param passed to nameof(). – Pistole

Answer 3

Put this to your assembly:

public static string GetCurrentNamespace()
{
    return System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().EntryPoint.DeclaringType.Namespace;
}

Or if you want this method to be in a library used by your program, write it like this:

[System.Runtime.CompilerServices.MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.NoInlining)]
public static string GetCurrentNamespace()
{
    return System.Reflection.Assembly.GetCallingAssembly().EntryPoint.DeclaringType.Namespace;
}

Galah

This is better than the typeof() and nameof() answers because a method that uses GetCurrentNamespace() can be moved to a different class or an entirely different namespace without requiring a code change. – Pistole

Answer 4

This can't go wrong:

MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod().DeclaringType.Namespace

Aciculum

How is this better than the accepted answer and the other variants posted here? – Steverson

This line can be used verbatim in any method in an application. The accepted answer has been written around getting the typeof(MyClass). So for truly copy/paste friendly code this wins (though is probably a bit slower at runtime). – Digitiform

Answer 5

You could simply use typeof and then pass in the class (I.e. Program):

Console.WriteLine(typeof(Program).Namespace); 

Which would print:

ConsoleApplication1

Enterovirus

Answer 6

if you have item x of class A in namespace B you can use:

string s = x.GetType().Namespace;

no s contains "B"

you can also use x.GetType().Name to get the type name or x.GetType().FullName to get both

Clever

Answer 7

Type myType = typeof(MyClass);
// Get the namespace of the myClass class.
Console.WriteLine("Namespace: {0}.", myType.Namespace);

Building on Joe's comment you can still use

Type myType = typeof(MyClass);
// Get the namespace of the myClass class.
var namespaceName = myType.Namespace.ToString();

with namespaceName being a variable to access the namespace name as a string value.

Generalize

Answer 8

If you're executing it from a class in the namespace you need to capture then you can just use:

GetType().Namespace

This works nicely as it then allows you to refactor the namespace and will still work.

Eldredge

Answer 9

as a roll upp all post answers: getting all columns' values from a table given as a string tableName:

     var tableName = "INVENTORY_PRICE";
                var assembly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();

                var tip = typeof(Form3);

                var t = assembly.GetType(tip.Namespace + "." + tableName);
                if (t != null)
                {
                    var foos = db.GetTable(t);

                    foreach (var f in foos)
                    {
                        Console.WriteLine(f + ":");
                        foreach (var property in f.GetType().GetProperties())
                            if (property != null)
                            {
                                var pv = property.GetValue(f, null);
                                Console.WriteLine("   " + property.Name + ":" + pv);
                            }

                        Console.WriteLine("------------------------------------------------");
                    }
                }

it is very easy if we use ado, this sample uses LINQ context...

Ogre