Base class for cloning an object in C#

Base class for cloning an object in C#

 

/// <summary>
/// BaseObject class is an abstract class for you to derive from.
/// Every class that will be dirived from this class will support the 
/// Clone method automaticly.<br>
/// The class implements the interface ICloneable and there 
/// for every object that will be derived <br>
/// from this object will support the ICloneable interface as well.
/// </summary>

public abstract class BaseObject : ICloneable
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Clone the object, and returning a reference to a cloned object.
    /// </summary>
    /// <returns>Reference to the new cloned 
    /// object.</returns>
    public object Clone()
    {
        //First we create an instance of this specific type.
        object newObject  = Activator.CreateInstance( this.GetType() );

        //We get the array of fields for the new type instance.
        FieldInfo[] fields = newObject.GetType().GetFields();

        int i = 0;

        foreach( FieldInfo fi in this.GetType().GetFields() )
        {
            //We query if the fiels support the ICloneable interface.
            Type ICloneType = fi.FieldType.
                        GetInterface( "ICloneable" , true );

            if( ICloneType != null )
            {
                //Getting the ICloneable interface from the object.
                ICloneable IClone = (ICloneable)fi.GetValue(this);

                //We use the clone method to set the new value to the field.
                fields[i].SetValue( newObject , IClone.Clone() );
            }
            else
            {
                // If the field doesn't support the ICloneable 
                // interface then just set it.
                fields[i].SetValue( newObject , fi.GetValue(this) );
            }

            //Now we check if the object support the 
            //IEnumerable interface, so if it does
            //we need to enumerate all its items and check if 
            //they support the ICloneable interface.
            Type IEnumerableType = fi.FieldType.GetInterface
                            ( "IEnumerable" , true );
            if( IEnumerableType != null )
            {
                //Get the IEnumerable interface from the field.
                IEnumerable IEnum = (IEnumerable)fi.GetValue(this);

                //This version support the IList and the 
                //IDictionary interfaces to iterate on collections.
                Type IListType = fields[i].FieldType.GetInterface
                                    ( "IList" , true );
                Type IDicType = fields[i].FieldType.GetInterface
                                    ( "IDictionary" , true );

                int j = 0;
                if( IListType != null )
                {
                    //Getting the IList interface.
                    IList list = (IList)fields[i].GetValue(newObject);

                    foreach( object obj in IEnum )
                    {
                        //Checking to see if the current item 
                        //support the ICloneable interface.
                        ICloneType = obj.GetType().
                            GetInterface( "ICloneable" , true );
                        
                        if( ICloneType != null )
                        {
                            //If it does support the ICloneable interface, 
                            //we use it to set the clone of
                            //the object in the list.
                            ICloneable clone = (ICloneable)obj;

                            list[j] = clone.Clone();
                        }

                        //NOTE: If the item in the list is not 
                        //support the ICloneable interface then in the 
                        //cloned list this item will be the same 
                        //item as in the original list
                        //(as long as this type is a reference type).

                        j++;
                    }
                }
                else if( IDicType != null )
                {
                    //Getting the dictionary interface.
                    IDictionary dic = (IDictionary)fields[i].
                                        GetValue(newObject);
                    j = 0;
                    
                    foreach( DictionaryEntry de in IEnum )
                    {
                        //Checking to see if the item 
                        //support the ICloneable interface.
                        ICloneType = de.Value.GetType().
                            GetInterface( "ICloneable" , true );

                        if( ICloneType != null )
                        {
                            ICloneable clone = (ICloneable)de.Value;

                            dic[de.Key] = clone.Clone();
                        }
                        j++;
                    }
                }
            }
            i++;
        }
        return newObject;
    }
}