Add advanced inheritance topic links to VB Inheritance Basics

[Copilot]

The VB Inheritance Basics page had only 2 "See also" links, leaving readers without guidance on covariance, generics variance, abstract class design, shadowing vs overriding, and interfaces as a multiple-inheritance workaround.

Changes

• inheritance-basics.md — Expanded "See also" section with 8 targeted links:
  • Object-oriented programming (VB) — polymorphism and OOP overview
  • Interfaces — alternative to multiple inheritance
  • Differences between shadowing and overriding
  • Generic types in Visual Basic — type parameters in hierarchies
  • Covariance and contravariance — addresses List(Of MyClass) vs List(Of MySubClass) questions
  • Variance in generic interfaces
  • Abstract class design — MustInherit best practices
  • Base classes for implementing abstractions
• Updated ms.date and added ai-usage: ai-assisted frontmatter

Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Please Point to More Advanced Inheritance Information</issue_title>
<issue_description>There is a whole lot more to .NET inheritance than that. It would be helpful if this page would refer to more advanced data and best-practices, like:

What happens to inherited class variables? Can they be redefined as a type that is a sub-class of the original type? If not, can they be attached to objects derived from a sub-class of that type?

When an inherited class creates "more specific" types of a parent classes, what are the best strategies for attaching the "more specific types" to the inherited class variables, and calling inherited methods and functions on them?

Can a redefined (Overrides) function return a type that is a sub-type of its defined return type?

Can a redefined (Overrides) method define replacement argument types that are "more specific" sub-types of the inherited argument types?

Can a variable of type "List(Of my_class)" be attached to a "List(Of my_sub_class)" where 'my_sub_class' inherits from 'my_class'? If not, what's the best work-around for this?

All of these (by the way) should be supported features of .NET.... Only a hobbled version of the above exists in .NET, and I really need to see exactly what the restrictions are, rather than spending time coding and encountering compiler errors, when there is a RIGHT way of doing things.

Kind regards,
Vic

---

Document Details

⚠ Do not edit this section. It is required for docs.microsoft.com ➟ GitHub issue linking.

• ID: 4c529ef8-2a80-1171-58d9-0a1a11cce0b7
• Version Independent ID: 74bc0941-b87c-ae19-ccb6-f95d5411f0a2
• Content: Inheritance Basics - Visual Basic
• Content Source: docs/visual-basic/programming-guide/language-features/objects-and-classes/inheritance-basics.md
• Product: dotnet-visualbasic
• GitHub Login: @KathleenDollard
• Microsoft Alias: kdollard</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@Youssef1313 @BillWagner Although this issue refers to the Visual Basic inheritance guide, you may consider these for the C# inheritance guide as well.

cc: @pkulikov </comment_new>
<comment_new>@BillWagner
@vwheeler63 Thanks for writing all this up.

It might be best to post these questions on a Q & A forum site such as stack overflow.

We will add more advanced content as we update these areas, but the focus of docs is not answer questions.

@BillWagner The fix here is to add links to more advanced topics on inheritance. It should focus on these areas:

1. More advanced topics in the VB Guide.
2. Topics in core and fundamentals.

• Fixes Please Point to More Advanced Inheritance Information #20083

---

💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.

---

Internal previews

📄 File	🔗 Preview link
docs/visual-basic/programming-guide/language-features/objects-and-classes/inheritance-basics.md	Inheritance Basics (Visual Basic)

[BillWagner]

This LGTM and is ready for final review.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR improves the Visual Basic Inheritance Basics documentation by expanding the See also section so readers can easily discover advanced inheritance-related topics (variance, generics, interfaces, shadowing vs. overriding, and design guidelines).

Changes:

• Expanded the See also section from 2 to 10 links, adding 8 targeted references to more advanced topics.
• Updated ms.date to the current date and added ai-usage: ai-assisted frontmatter.