In C#, why can't a List object be stored in a List<object> variable

Question

It seems that a List object cannot be stored in a List variable in C#, and can\'t even be explicitly cast that way.

List sl = new List

        

Answer 1

This has a lot to do with covariance, e.g., generic types are considered as parameters, and if the parameters do not resolve properly to a more specific type then the operation fails. The implication of such is that you really cannot cast to a more general type like object. And as stated by Rex, the List object won't convert each object for you.

You might want to try the ff code instead:

List sl = new List();
//populate sl
List