Compiler Error CS0208

Cannot take the address of, get the size of, or declare a pointer to a managed type ('type')

Even when used with the unsafe keyword, taking the address of a managed object, getting the size of a managed object, or declaring a pointer to a managed type is not allowed. A managed type is:

• any reference type

• any struct that contains a reference type as a field or property

For more information, see Unmanaged types.

Example

The following sample generates CS0208:

// CS0208.cs  
// compile with: /unsafe  
  
class myClass  
{  
    public int a = 98;  
}  
  
struct myProblemStruct  
{  
    string s;  
    float f;  
}  
  
struct myGoodStruct  
{  
    int i;  
    float f;  
}  
  
public class MyClass  
{  
    unsafe public static void Main()  
    {  
        // myClass is a class, a managed type.  
        myClass s = new myClass();
        myClass* s2 = &s;    // CS0208  
  
        // The struct contains a string, a managed type.  
        int i = sizeof(myProblemStruct); //CS0208  
  
        // The struct contains only value types.  
        i = sizeof(myGoodStruct); //OK  
  
    }  
}