[XmlInclude(typeof(Square))] public abstract class Shape {…} (repeat for all known subtypes) If the types are only known at runtime, you can supply them to the XmlSerializer constructor, but: then it is important to cache and reuse that serializer instance; otherwise you will haemorrhage dynamically created assemblies. It does this automatically when you use the constructor … Read more
It’s not possible, why? In C#, it is forced upon you that if you inherit public methods, you must make them public. Otherwise they expect you not to derive from the class in the first place. Instead of using the is-a relationship, you would have to use the has-a relationship. The language designers don’t allow … Read more
std::vector will manage the memory for you, like always, but this memory will be of pointers, not objects. What this means is that your classes will be lost in memory once your vector goes out of scope. For example: #include <vector> struct base { virtual ~base() {} }; struct derived : base {}; typedef std::vector<base*> … Read more