Cannot cast to clientContext.CastTo<T> (Managed Client Object Model)

Question

I am writing a method that is supposed to create a SharePoint list field. I want to be able to make my method return the newly created field. The problem that I am facing is that list.Fields.AddFieldAsXml(...) (that is the Client Object Model's method that calls the creation of field in SharePoint) returns an object of type Field. I want, however, to cast to particular field type and that casting doesn't work.

Here's the method:

public T GetField<T>(ClientContext clientContext, string field title, FieldType type)
{
    Field field;

    // The following method creates a specific field and returns the Field object
    // but I want to cast it later on to get the more specific field class, e.g. 'FieldText'
    field = CreateMyField(type, field);

    // The following cast won't work because of the 'T'
    return clientContext.CastTo<T>(field);
}

I am getting the compile error

The type 'T' cannot be used as type parameter 'T' in the generic type or method 'Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientRuntimeContext.CastTo<T>(Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientObject)'. There is no boxing conversion or type parameter conversion from 'T' to 'Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientObject'

If I use a concrete class instead of the T, e.g. FieldText, the cast works like a charm.

My question is: Is there a way to make the cast work with generics? Thanks.

Answer 1

After some poking around I came across this article. It made me realize that I need to change my method's signature from:

public T GetField<T>(ClientContext clientContext, string field title, FieldType type)

to

public T GetField<T>(ClientContext clientContext, string field title, FieldType type)
    where T : ClientObject

This makes the cast work. Hooray!