Compiler Error CS1721

Class 'class' cannot have multiple base classes: 'class_1' and 'class_2'

The most common cause of this error message is attempting to use multiple inheritance. A class in C# may only inherit directly from one class. However, a class can implement any number of interfaces.

Example

The following example shows one way in which SC1721 is generated, and then shows two possible ways to avoid the error.

// CS1721.cs
public class A {}
public class B {}
public class MyClass : A, B {}   // CS1721

// One possible fix is to use the following approach instead:
public class A {}
public class B : A {}
public class C : B {}

// Another possible fix is to use interfaces instead of base classes:
public class A {}
public interface B {}
public class C : A, B {}

See Also

Reference

Polymorphism (C# Programming Guide)

Interfaces (C# Programming Guide)