---
title: "Missing C# feature ? - Totally hiding derived members"
url: "https://osherove.com/blog/2003/2/24/missing-c-feature-totally-hiding-derived-members.md"
canonical: "https://osherove.com/blog/2003/2/24/missing-c-feature-totally-hiding-derived-members.html"
published: "2003-02-24T17:39:00"
updated: "2003-02-24T17:39:00"
tags: []
author: "Roy Osherove"
description: "So here's my problem. I have class Foo: public class Foo{ public void DoStuff() { ... } } and i have class Bar derived from it. I want class Bar to Hide the \"DoStuff\" and expose it's own implementation of \"DoStuff()\".…"
usage: "Licensed under CC BY 4.0 — reuse, quote and adapt with attribution (Roy Osherove, link to the original page)."
license: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
---

# Missing C\# feature ? - Totally hiding derived members

By Roy Osherove February 24, 2003

**Historical article** · Originally published February 24, 2003; technical details may be outdated.

So here's my problem. I have class Foo:

public class Foo{

public void DoStuff()

{

...

}

}

and i have class Bar derived from it. I want class Bar to Hide the "DoStuff" and expose it's own implementation of "DoStuff()". Simple, right?

public class Bar:Foo

{

//Hide the default memebr

new private void DoStuff(){

}

public void DoStuff(int argument){}

}

Ok. Done. But watch this: writing the following line in VS.NET:

Bar b = new Bar();

b.    ///->>>>You get both the Bar.DoStuff AND the Foo.DoStuff in the Tooltips.

meaning : you cannot hide inharited members totally. you must implement them to hide the default functionality. I looked it up on MSDN and found [this article](http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/csspec/html/vclrfcsharpspec_3_7_1_2.asp) which states so clearly:

_"A declaration of a new member hides an inherited member only within the scope of the new member._

```
class Base
{
   public static void F() {}
}
class Derived: Base
{
   new private static void F() {}   // Hides Base.F in Derived only
}
class MoreDerived: Derived
{
   static void G() { F(); }         // Invokes Base.F
}
```

_In the example above, the declaration of `F` in `Derived` hides the `F` that was inherited from `Base`, but since the new `F` in `Derived` has private access, its scope does not extend to `MoreDerived`. Thus, the call `F()` in `MoreDerived.G` is valid and will invoke `Base.F`."_

How is that not possible? you'd think it's a pretty legitimate programming way, wouldn;t you? I can;t think of any situation where having this as a possibility is a bad thing...


---

## About the author

**Roy Osherove**: Senior Solutions Architect at AWS working on AI for production and AI-driven development; author of The Art of Unit Testing and Elastic Leadership, with about 20 years of consulting and training on unit testing, TDD, team leadership and continuous delivery.

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### License

Licensed under CC BY 4.0 — reuse, quote and adapt with attribution (Roy Osherove, link to the original page). License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/