How to: Create a C/C++ Union by Using Attributes (C# and Visual Basic)
Visual Studio 2012
By using attributes you can customize how structs are laid out in memory. For example, you can create what is known as a union in C/C++ by using the StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit) and FieldOffset attributes.
In this code segment, all of the fields of TestUnion start at the same location in memory.
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.StructLayout(
System.Runtime.InteropServices.LayoutKind.Explicit)>
Structure TestUnion
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(0)>
Public i As Integer
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(0)>
Public d As Double
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(0)>
Public c As Char
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(0)>
Public b As Byte
End Structure
The following is another example where fields start at different explicitly set locations.
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.StructLayout(
System.Runtime.InteropServices.LayoutKind.Explicit)>
Structure TestExplicit
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(0)>
Public lg As Long
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(0)>
Public i1 As Integer
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(4)>
Public i2 As Integer
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(8)>
Public d As Double
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(12)>
Public c As Char
<System.Runtime.InteropServices.FieldOffset(14)>
Public b As Byte
End Structure
The two integer fields, i1 and i2, share the same memory locations as lg. This sort of control over struct layout is useful when using platform invocation.
