.Contains() on a list of custom class objects

Question

I'm trying to use the .Contains() function on a list of custom objects.

This is the list:

List<CartProduct> CartProducts = new List<CartProduct>();

And the CartProduct:

public class CartProduct
{
    public Int32 ID;
    public String Name;
    public Int32 Number;
    public Decimal CurrentPrice;
    /// <summary>
    /// 
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="ID">The ID of the product</param>
    /// <param name="Name">The name of the product</param>
    /// <param name="Number">The total number of that product</param>
    /// <param name="CurrentPrice">The currentprice for the product (1 piece)</param>
    public CartProduct(Int32 ID, String Name, Int32 Number, Decimal CurrentPrice)
    {
        this.ID = ID;
        this.Name = Name;
        this.Number = Number;
        this.CurrentPrice = CurrentPrice;
    }
    public String ToString()
    {
        return Name;
    }
}

When I try to find a similar cartproduct within the list:

if (CartProducts.Contains(p))

it ignores similar cartproducts and I don't seem to know what it checks on - the ID? or at all?

Answer 1

If you are using .NET 3.5 or newer you can use LINQ extension methods to achieve a "contains" check with the Any extension method:

if(CartProducts.Any(prod => prod.ID == p.ID))

This will check for the existence of a product within CartProducts which has an ID matching the ID of p. You can put any boolean expression after the => to perform the check on.

This also has the benefit of working for LINQ-to-SQL queries as well as in-memory queries, where Contains doesn't.

Answer 2

You need to implement IEquatable or override Equals() and GetHashCode()

For example:

public class CartProduct : IEquatable<CartProduct>
{
    public Int32 ID;
    public String Name;
    public Int32 Number;
    public Decimal CurrentPrice;

    public CartProduct(Int32 ID, String Name, Int32 Number, Decimal CurrentPrice)
    {
        this.ID = ID;
        this.Name = Name;
        this.Number = Number;
        this.CurrentPrice = CurrentPrice;
    }

    public String ToString()
    {
        return Name;
    }

    public bool Equals( CartProduct other )
    {
        // Would still want to check for null etc. first.
        return this.ID == other.ID && 
               this.Name == other.Name && 
               this.Number == other.Number && 
               this.CurrentPrice == other.CurrentPrice;
    }
}

Answer 3

It checks to see whether the specific object is contained in the list.

You might be better using the Find method on the list.

Here's an example

List<CartProduct> lst = new List<CartProduct>();

CartProduct objBeer;
objBeer = lst.Find(x => (x.Name == "Beer"));

Hope that helps

You should also look at LinQ - overkill for this perhaps, but a useful tool nonetheless...

Answer 4

By default reference types have reference equality (i.e. two instances are only equal if they are the same object).

You need to override Object.Equals (and Object.GetHashCode to match) to implement your own equality. (And it is then good practice to implement an equality, ==, operator.)

Answer 5

You need to create a object from your list like:

List<CartProduct> lst = new List<CartProduct>();

CartProduct obj = lst.Find(x => (x.Name == "product name"));

That object get the looked value searching by their properties: x.name

Then you can use List methods like Contains or Remove

if (lst.Contains(obj))
{
   lst.Remove(obj);
}

Answer 6

Implement override Equals() and GetHashCode()

public class CartProduct
{
    public Int32 ID;
    ...

    public CartProduct(Int32 ID, ...)
    {
        this.ID = ID;
        ...
    }

    public override int GetHashCode()
    {
        return ID;
    }

    public override bool Equals(Object obj)
        {
            if (obj == null || !(obj is CartProduct))
                return false;
            else
                return GetHashCode() == ((CartProduct)obj).GetHashCode();
        }

}

used:

if (CartProducts.Contains(p))

Answer 7

If you want to have control over this you need to implement the [IEquatable interface][1]

[1]: http://This method determines equality by using the default equality comparer, as defined by the object's implementation of the IEquatable.Equals method for T (the type of values in the list).