System.Reflection work planned for .NET 7

[steveharter]

This issue captures the planned work for .NET 7. This list is expected to change throughout the release cycle according to ongoing planning and discussions, with possible additions and subtractions to the scope.

Planned for .NET 7

Features / User stories

• [ ] Developers using reflection invoke should be able to use ref struct
• [ ] Developers using Reflection should be able to use pointers and function pointers

The following are higher priority reflection issues that are affecting the community and for the most part, do not include features or bugs that have reasonable workarounds.

MetadataLoadContext

• PathAssemblyResolver System.Reflection.MetadataLoadContext should be sealed or allow overrides

General cleanup and bugs

• Assembly.CodeBase obsoletion is incomplete
• PseudoCustomAttribute.GetStructLayoutCustomAttribute returns incorrect data
• Type.IsPublic returns wrong answer for pointer and byref types
• Inconsistent GetRuntimeProperties() Behavior
• Allow GetProperties to order results by declaration order
• Attribute.GetCustomAttributes returns null when passed an unbound generic type
• Get info about generic attributes for open generic
• System.Reflection.Metadata doesn't handle generic attributes
• Method binding by name with Type.DefaultBinder.BindToMethod fails with specific condition

Reflection Emit

• TypeBuilder::CreateTypeInfo() should not throw COMException
• ModuleBuilder.GetType does not work with ignore case with certain unicode chars on Unix

Backlog

• [ ] Support equivalent of AssemblyBuilder.Save to save in-memory IL to an assembly

[stephentoub]

@steveharter, I don't see #15704 on the list. Are we considering that at all?

[ThadHouse]

#11354

This should probably be in here too. There's no workaround for emitting functions with function pointers in their signatures.

[steveharter]

I don't see #15704 on the list. Are we considering that at all?

AssemblyBuilder.Save in 5.0 was seriously discussed but didn't make the cut. I haven't heard any new blocking-status changes yet that would cause this to be a must-have. It is a Large or XL-size feature.

@AArnott since you requested this feature in 5.0, what is the status now?

Some have been using https://github.com/Lokad/ILPack as an alternative.

[stephentoub]

I haven't heard any new blocking-status changes yet that would cause this to be a must-have.

I called it out simply because it's got the second most upvotes of any issue in System.Reflection*.

[AArnott]

We still need it, @steveharter. Cutting it from 5.0 was reasonable from my POV because my team didn't need it before 6.0 anyway. But we do need a good story. You mention an alternative (ILPack) but I'll avoid responding to that because this and other workarounds are already discussed on the existing issue. If you'd like to pursue that further, we might pick up the conversation there, if that's ok with you.

[steveharter]

@ThadHouse

#11354
This should probably be in here too. There's no workaround for emitting functions with function pointers in their signatures.

That issue is linked in the "function pointer" section in #44327

[buyaa-n]

[Triage:] moving to 8.0 for now, will cleanup later

[steveharter]

Closing; issues not implemented moved to 8.0 or future

[steveharter]

8.0 epic: #75358