IEnumerator.Reset Method

Definition

Sets the enumerator to its initial position, which is before the first element in the collection.

C#
public void Reset();

Exceptions

The collection was modified after the enumerator was created.

The enumerator does not support being reset.

Examples

The following code example demonstrates the implementation of the IEnumerator interfaces for a custom collection. In this example, Reset is not explicitly called, but it is implemented to support the use of foreach (for each in Visual Basic). This code example is part of a larger example for the IEnumerator interface.

C#
// When you implement IEnumerable, you must also implement IEnumerator.
public class PeopleEnum : IEnumerator
{
    public Person[] _people;

    // Enumerators are positioned before the first element
    // until the first MoveNext() call.
    int position = -1;

    public PeopleEnum(Person[] list)
    {
        _people = list;
    }

    public bool MoveNext()
    {
        position++;
        return (position < _people.Length);
    }

    public void Reset()
    {
        position = -1;
    }

    object IEnumerator.Current
    {
        get
        {
            return Current;
        }
    }

    public Person Current
    {
        get
        {
            try
            {
                return _people[position];
            }
            catch (IndexOutOfRangeException)
            {
                throw new InvalidOperationException();
            }
        }
    }
}

Remarks

If changes are made to the collection, such as adding, modifying, or deleting elements, the behavior of Reset is undefined.

The Reset method is provided for COM interoperability. It does not necessarily need to be implemented; instead, the implementer can simply throw a NotSupportedException.

Notes to Implementers

All calls to Reset() must result in the same state for the enumerator. The preferred implementation is to move the enumerator to the beginning of the collection, before the first element. This invalidates the enumerator if the collection has been modified since the enumerator was created, which is consistent with MoveNext() and Current.

Applies to

Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

See also