Only Add Unique Item To List

Question

I\'m adding remote devices to a list as they announce themselves across the network. I only want to add the device to the list if it hasn\'t previously been added.

The

Answer 1

Just like the accepted answer says a HashSet doesn't have an order. If order is important you can continue to use a List and check if it contains the item before you add it.

if (_remoteDevices.Contains(rDevice))
    _remoteDevices.Add(rDevice);

Performing List.Contains() on a custom class/object requires implementing IEquatable on the custom class or overriding the Equals. It's a good idea to also implement GetHashCode in the class as well. This is per the documentation at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms224763.aspx

public class RemoteDevice: IEquatable
{
    private readonly int id;
    public RemoteDevice(int uuid)
    {
        id = id
    }
    public int GetId
    {
        get { return id; }
    }

    // ...

    public bool Equals(RemoteDevice other)
    {
        if (this.GetId == other.GetId)
            return true;
        else
            return false;
    }
    public override int GetHashCode()
    {
        return id;
    }
}