c# - Calling a static method on a generic type parameter

Question

I was hoping to do something like this, but it appears to be illegal in C#:

public Collection MethodThatFetchesSomething<T>()
    where T : SomeBaseClass
{
    return T.StaticMethodOnSomeBaseClassThatReturnsCollection();
}

I get a compile-time error:

'T' is a 'type parameter', which is not valid in the given context.

Given a generic type parameter, how can I call a static method on the generic class? The static method has to be available, given the constraint.

Answer 1

In this case you should just call the static method on the constrainted type directly. C# (and the CLR) do not support virtual static methods. So:

T.StaticMethodOnSomeBaseClassThatReturnsCollection

...can be no different than:

SomeBaseClass.StaticMethodOnSomeBaseClassThatReturnsCollection

Going through the generic type parameter is an unneeded indirection and hence not supported.