Create object instance without invoking constructor?

Question

In C#, is there a way to instantiate an instance of a class without invoking its constructor?

Assume the class is public and is defined in a 3rd par

Answer 1

EDIT: You updated your question, you want to construct a class without a constructor. Or call a default "Empty Constructor".

This cannot be done, as the compiler will not generate a default constructor if there is already one specified. However, for the benefit of the readers, here is how to get at a internal, protected, or private constructor:

Assuming your class is called Foo:

using System.Reflection;

// If the constructor takes arguments, otherwise pass these as null
Type[] pTypes = new Type[1];
pTypes[0] = typeof(object);    
object[] argList = new object[1];
argList[0] = constructorArgs;

ConstructorInfo c = typeof(Foo).GetConstructor
    (BindingFlags.NonPublic |
     BindingFlags.Instance,
     null,
     pTypes,
     null);

Foo foo = 
    (Foo) c.Invoke(BindingFlags.NonPublic,
                   null, 
                   argList, 
                   Application.CurrentCulture);

Ugly, but works.

Of course, there may be a perfectly legitimate reason to mark a constructor as internal, so you should really consider the logistics of what you want before you abuse that class by getting at it with reflection.