IComparer(T) Interface (System.Collections.Generic)

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Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

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.NET Framework Class Library

IComparer<(Of <(T>)>) Interface

Updated: November 2007

Defines a method that a type implements to compare two objects.

Namespace: System.Collections.Generic
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)

Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)

Public Interface IComparer(Of T)

Visual Basic (Usage)

Dim instance As IComparer(Of T)

public interface IComparer<T>

Visual C++

generic<typename T>
public interface class IComparer

J# supports the use of generic APIs, but not the declaration of new ones.

JScript

JScript does not support generic types or methods.

Type Parameters

T: The type of objects to compare.

Remarks

This interface is used with the List<(Of <(T>)>)..::.Sort and List<(Of <(T>)>)..::.BinarySearch methods. It provides a way to customize the sort order of a collection. Classes that implement this interface include the SortedDictionary<(Of <(TKey, TValue>)>) and SortedList<(Of <(TKey, TValue>)>) generic classes.

The default implementation of this interface is the Comparer<(Of <(T>)>) class. The StringComparer class implements this interface for type String.

This interface supports ordering comparisons. That is, when the Compare method returns 0, it means that two objects sort the same. Implementation of exact equality comparisons is provided by the IEqualityComparer<(Of <(T>)>) generic interface.

Platforms

Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Xbox 360

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

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