Comparer<T> Class
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Provides a base class for implementations of the IComparer<T> generic interface.
Inheritance Hierarchy
System.Object
System.Collections.Generic.Comparer<T>
Namespace: System.Collections.Generic
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Syntax
'Declaration
Public MustInherit Class Comparer(Of T) _
Implements IComparer, IComparer(Of T)
public abstract class Comparer<T> : IComparer,
IComparer<T>
Type Parameters
- T
The type of objects to compare.
The Comparer<T> type exposes the following members.
Properties
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Public property") .gif "Static member") .gif "Supported by Silverlight for Windows Phone") .gif "Supported by Xbox 360") |
Default | Returns a default sort order comparer for the type specified by the generic argument. |
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Methods
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Public method") |
Compare | When overridden in a derived class, performs a comparison of two objects of the same type and returns a value indicating whether one object is less than, equal to, or greater than the other. |
|
Equals(Object) | Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.) |
.gif "Protected method") |
Finalize | Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before the Object is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.) |
|
GetHashCode | Serves as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.) |
|
GetType | Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.) |
|
MemberwiseClone | Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.) |
|
ToString | Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.) |
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Explicit Interface Implementations
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Explicit interface implemetation") .gif "Private method") |
IComparer.Compare | Compares two objects and returns a value indicating whether one is less than, equal to, or greater than the other. |
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Remarks
Derive from this class to provide a custom implementation of the IComparer<T> interface for use with collection classes.
The object returned by the Default property uses the System.IComparable<T> generic interface (IComparable<T> in C#, IComparable(Of T) in Visual Basic) to compare two objects. If type T does not implement the System.IComparable<T> generic interface, the Default property returns a Comparer<T> that uses the System.IComparable interface.
Notes to Implementers
Compare and EqualityComparer<T>.Equals may behave differently in terms of culture-sensitivity and case-sensitivity.
For string comparisons, the StringComparer class is recommended over Comparer<String>. Properties of the StringComparer class return predefined instances that perform string comparisons with different combinations of culture-sensitivity and case-sensitivity. The case-sensitivity and culture-sensitivity are consistent among the members of the same StringComparer instance.
For more information on culture-specific comparisons, see the System.Globalization namespace.
Version Information
Silverlight
Supported in: 5, 4, 3
Silverlight for Windows Phone
Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.1, Windows Phone OS 7.0
XNA Framework
Supported in: Xbox 360, Windows Phone OS 7.0
Platforms
For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.
Thread Safety
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.