Activator.GetObject with Reflection

Question

I need to dynamically load an interface assembly that I use on client-side remoting. Something like this.

static void Main(string[] args)
{
  TcpClientChannel clientChannel = new TcpClientChannel();
  ChannelServices.RegisterChannel(clientChannel, false);

  Assembly interfaceAssembly = Assembly.LoadFile("RemotingInterface.dll");
  Type iTheInterface = interfaceAssembly.GetType("RemotingInterface.ITheService");

  RemotingConfiguration.RegisterWellKnownClientType(iTheInterface, "tcp://localhost:9090/Remotable.rem");
  object wellKnownObject = Activator.GetObject(iTheInterface, "tcp://localhost:9090/Remotable.rem");
}

Only I can't seem to grasp how to call any methods as I can't cast the Activator.GetObject. How can I create a proxy of ITheService without knowing the interface at compile-time? I can't cast the Activator.GetObject to an interface because I don't know the interface at compile-time. The type of wellKnownObject is MarshalByRefObject.

Answer 1

Hi,

As you do not have the physical interface, you will need to invoke the method using reflection

 MethodInfo m = iTheInterface.GetMethod("MethodName");
      m.Invoke(wellKnownObject, new object[] { "Argument"});

If you are using c# 4.0, you can use the new dynamic keyword to late bind the object.

dynamic wellKnownObject = Activator.GetObject(iTheInterface, "tcp://localhost:9090/Remotable.rem");
wellKnownObject.SomeExistingMethod("test");

Answer 2

Thanks. The reflection method works. I was a little confused as to how I can map the object to the interface.

However, the dynamic method doesn't work. It will throw a RuntimeBinderException.