Why does this generic method require T to have a public, parameterless constructor?

Question

public void Getrecords(ref IList iList,T dataItem) 
{ 
  iList = Populate.GetList() // GetListis defined as GetList
}

data

Answer 1

public void GetRecords(ref IList iList, T dataitem)
{
}

What more are you looking for?

To Revised question:

 iList = Populate.GetList() 

"dataitem" is a variable. You want to specify a type there:

 iList = Populate.GetList() 

The type 'T' must have a public parameterless constructor in order to use it as parameter 'T' in the generic type GetList:new()

This is saying that when you defined Populate.GetList(), you declared it like this:

IList GetList() where T: new() 
{...}

That tells the compiler that GetList can only use types that have a public parameterless constructor. You use T to create a GetList method in GetRecords (T refers to different types here), you have to put the same limitation on it:

public void GetRecords(ref IList iList, T dataitem) where T: new() 
{
   iList = Populate.GetList();
}