title: Alias Generic Type With ASP.Net Import Directive in VB.Net Page
body: <p>I can't seem to import a generic type on an ASP.Net page set to a language of "vb":</p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;%@ Page Language="vb" %&gt;
  &lt;%-- This works fine. --%&gt;
  &lt;%@ Import Namespace="MyString=System.String" %&gt;
  &lt;%-- This gives an error. --%&gt;
  &lt;%@ Import Namespace="MyList=System.Collections.Generic.List(Of System.String)" %&gt;
  &lt;%-- Error: "The 'namespace' attribute cannot contain spaces." --%&gt;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Note that I'm NOT interested in these alternatives (for boring reasons you don't care about):</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Alter the web.config.</li>
  <li>Alter the code-behind.</li>
  <li>Use the code-behind instead of the page.</li>
  <li>Using C# instead of VB.Net.</li>
  <li>Googling (the MSDN page makes no mention of generic types).</li>
  <li>Modifying the app.config.</li>
  <li>Adding the namespace to the "imported namespaces" via the
  "References" tab in the project settings.</li>
  <li>Workarounds (I already have workarounds, but I want to see if this
  can be done properly)</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Is it possible to alias a generic type on a VB.Net ASP.Net page, or is this an oversight by Microsoft?</p>