Hiding inner classes. What am I missing?

Really hope someone can point me in the right direction as I have no hair left anymore...

I am developing a simple SDK using VB.NET in VS 2010 and I have a class (OuterClass) that is inheriting another class (InnerClass).

There are obviously properties and methods in the InnerClass that are accesible from 开发者_JAVA技巧the OuterClass.

How the heck can I hide from my potential end users that InnerClass even exists. I don't want to hide the InnerClass internals just the fact that InnerClass is even there...

No matter what I try it is always visible in either the class viewer, debugger or editor.

I have tried the usual contenders:

<DebuggerBrowsable(DebuggerBrowsableState.Never)> _

and

<ComponentModel.EditorBrowsable(ComponentModel.EditorBrowsableState.Never)> _

Please can someone even just point me in the right direction. I have found a few things but they are all to do with C++ and they are just confusing the .... out of me.

If OuterClass subclasses from InnerClass then InnerClass must be at least as visible as OuterClass. If you truly desire to hide InnerClass then you'll need to switch to an "OuterClass uses InnerClass" architecture instead of an "OuterClass is a InnerClass" architecture.

You could solve this problem with interfaces and a factory method.

Public Interface IOuterClass

End Interface


Friend MustOverride InnerClass

End Class


Friend Class OuterClass
  Implements IOuterClass
  Inherits InnerClass

End Class


Public Class OuterClassFactory

  Public Shared Function Create() as IOuterClass
    Return New OuterClass()
  End Function

End Class