C# Object.GetType() Method with Examples

The Object.GetType() method in C# is used to get the runtime type of the current instance. This method is inherited by all types in C# since every type derives from Object. It returns a Type object that contains metadata about the type.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for the GetType() method −

public Type GetType();

Return Value

The method returns a Type object that represents the exact runtime type of the current instance.

Using GetType() with Built-in Types

The GetType() method can be called on any object to determine its type at runtime −

using System;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      Object ob = new Object();
      String str = "Jim";
      int number = 42;
      
      Type type1 = ob.GetType();
      Type type2 = str.GetType();
      Type type3 = number.GetType();
      
      Console.WriteLine("Type = " + type1);
      Console.WriteLine("Type = " + type2);
      Console.WriteLine("Type = " + type3);
      
      Console.WriteLine("\nHash Code = " + type1.GetHashCode());
      Console.WriteLine("Hash Code = " + type2.GetHashCode());
      Console.WriteLine("Hash Code = " + type3.GetHashCode());
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Type = System.Object
Type = System.String
Type = System.Int32

Hash Code = 30015890
Hash Code = 21083178
Hash Code = 43942917

Using GetType() with Custom Types

You can also use GetType() with custom classes and structs to get their type information −

using System;

public struct Value {
   private int v1;
   private int v2;
   private int v3;
   
   public Value(int v1, int v2, int v3) {
      this.v1 = v1;
      this.v2 = v2;
      this.v3 = v3;
   }
   
   public override int GetHashCode() {
      return Tuple.Create(v1, v2, v3).GetHashCode();
   }
}

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      Value v = new Value(1, 7, 12);
      Console.WriteLine("Hash Code: " + v.GetHashCode());
      Console.WriteLine("Type: " + v.GetType());
      
      v = new Value(12, 8, 7);
      Console.WriteLine("Hash Code: " + v.GetHashCode());
      Console.WriteLine("Type: " + v.GetType());
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Hash Code: 1258
Type: Value
Hash Code: 12803
Type: Value

Type Comparison Using GetType()

The GetType() method is commonly used for type checking and comparison −

using System;

public class Animal { }
public class Dog : Animal { }

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      Animal animal = new Dog();
      Dog dog = new Dog();
      
      Console.WriteLine("animal.GetType(): " + animal.GetType());
      Console.WriteLine("dog.GetType(): " + dog.GetType());
      
      Console.WriteLine("Same type? " + (animal.GetType() == dog.GetType()));
      Console.WriteLine("Is Dog type? " + (animal.GetType() == typeof(Dog)));
      Console.WriteLine("Is Animal type? " + (animal.GetType() == typeof(Animal)));
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

animal.GetType(): Dog
dog.GetType(): Dog
Same type? True
Is Dog type? True
Is Animal type? False

Conclusion

The GetType() method is essential for runtime type identification in C#. It returns the exact type of an object, which is useful for type checking, reflection, and debugging. Unlike typeof() which works with compile-time types, GetType() provides the actual runtime type of an instance.