DebuggerDisplay for a dictionary's key / value pair?

DebuggerDisplay for a dictionary's key / value pair?

The `DebuggerDisplay` attribute in C# can be used to customize the display of an object in the debugger. It's commonly used to provide a more meaningful representation of the object's state than the default one.

In the case of a `Dictionary`, it's possible to apply the `DebuggerDisplay` attribute to the `KeyValuePair` type to customize the display of the key-value pair in the debugger.

For example, the following code uses the `DebuggerDisplay` attribute to display the key and value of a `KeyValuePair` in the format "Key: {key}, Value: {value}":

```csharp using System.Collections.Generic; public class Program { [DebuggerDisplay("{Key}: {Value}")] public class MyKeyValuePair : KeyValuePair { public MyKeyValuePair(TKey key, TValue value) : base(key, value) { } } } ```

With this attribute applied, when the debugger stops at a breakpoint, the `KeyValuePair` will be displayed in the aforementioned format, making it easier to identify the key and value of the pair.

It's important to note that the `DebuggerDisplay` attribute can only be applied to types that you own, meaning that you cannot apply it to types defined in external libraries or the .NET Framework itself. However, there are certain techniques that can be used to apply the attribute to types that you do not own.

One technique is to use the `assembly: DebuggerDisplay` attribute, which allows you to apply the attribute to all instances of a specific type in the assembly. For example, the following code applies the `DebuggerDisplay` attribute to all instances of the `KeyValuePair` type in the assembly:

```csharp [assembly: DebuggerDisplay("{Key,nq}: {Value,nq}", Target = typeof(KeyValuePair))] ```

This technique can be useful for customizing the display of types that you do not own, such as types in the .NET Framework.

Another technique is to use a custom debugger visualizer. Debugger visualizers are classes that can be registered with the debugger to provide custom visualizations for specific types. This allows you to create your own custom display for any type, regardless of whether you own the type or not.