C# Language Specification

Nested types in generic classes

A generic class declaration can contain nested type declarations. The type parameters of the enclosing class can be used within the nested types. A nested type declaration can contain additional type parameters that apply only to the nested type.

Every type declaration contained within a generic class declaration is implicitly a generic type declaration. When writing a reference to a type nested within a generic type, the containing constructed type, including its type arguments, must be named. However, from within the outer class, the nested type can be used without qualification; the instance type of the outer class can be implicitly used when constructing the nested type. The following example shows three different correct ways to refer to a constructed type created from Inner; the first two are equivalent:

class Outer
{
class Inner
{
public static void F(T t, U u) {...}
}

static void F(T t) {

Outer.Inner.F(t, "abc"); // These two statements have
Inner.F(t, "abc"); // the same effect

Outer.Inner.F(3, "abc"); // This type is different

Outer.Inner.F(t, "abc"); // Error, Outer needs type arg
}
}

Although it is bad programming style, a type parameter in a nested type can hide a member or type parameter declared in the outer type:

class Outer
{
class Inner // Valid, hides Outer’s T
{
public T t; // Refers to Inner’s T
}
}

9.