Dump() not working with uncapsulated List<T>

[sdrapkin]

void Main() // LinqPad 6 v6.9.7 x64 beta
{
	var list = new List<string> { "hello" };
	var uncapsulatedList = list.Uncapsulate();

	uncapsulatedList.Dump(); // private "_items" array is not shown
	uncapsulatedList.Dump(includePrivate: true); // doesn't work either
	uncapsulatedList._items.Dump(); // explicit access works though
}

[kgamecarter]

because uncapsulatedList is wrapper type, not real List<string>

[sdrapkin]

@kgamecarter I did not understand your commentary - perhaps you could clarify. Let me expand the example:

void Main() // LinqPad 6 v6.9.7 x64 beta
{
	var list = new List<string> { "hello" };
	var uncapsulatedList = list.Uncapsulate();

	uncapsulatedList.Dump(); // private "_items" array is not shown
	uncapsulatedList.Dump(includePrivate: true); // doesn't work either
	uncapsulatedList._items.Dump(); // explicit access works though

	var list2 = new List2<string>();
	list2.Uncapsulate().Dump(); // this shows internal "_items" as expected
}

public class List2<T>  
{
	internal T[] _items;
}

List2<string> works, but List<string> doesn't. Why?

[kgamecarter]

Maybe LINQPad 7 fixed

[sgmoore]

With the latest version of LinqPad 7 you can use Util.ToExpando(list, includePrivate:true).Dump(); to display the private properties,

If you can't use Linqpad 7, the code is available at https://www.linqpad.net/ToExpando.txt

List2 works, but List doesn't. Why?

But I don't think this is an issue with this project, but more with how Dump works with Lists. In particular they are handled in a special way in that it displays the actual contents of the list rather than displaying the public properties like Capacity and Count (which would not be very helpful, especially as the information would really want i.e. _items would not be displayed).

I don't know enough about the internals of LinqPad to be sure, but if you call uncapsulatedList.GetType() you will get List<string>, so it may not be easy for LinqPad to distinguish between and uncapsulatedList and a real list, so calling uncapsulatedList.Dump(); does exactly the same as calling list.Dump();

[sdrapkin]

It's not a matter of figuring out how to dump private fields in Linqpad - it's a matter of providing a correct (as-advertised) implementation of .Dump() for Uncapsulate().Dump(). Unlike Util.ToExpando(), Uncapsulate() is an "intrusive" extension method (shown/available on every instance), and comes with Linqpad tutorial "Fluent Reflection with Uncapsulate()". It mostly works - until it doesn't, and there is neither a good reason for it not to work for List<T>, nor a Linqpad warning/caution that it would not work. The description for Uncapsulate().Dump() says Dumps the underlying object (including private members) to the LINQPad's results window.

IMHO, this is a bug.