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<T> 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<RemoteDevice>
{
    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;
    }
}

Answer 2

If your requirements are to have no duplicates, you should be using a HashSet.

HashSet.Add will return false when the item already exists (if that even matters to you).

You can use the constructor that @pstrjds links to below (or here) to define the equality operator or you'll need to implement the equality methods in RemoteDevice (GetHashCode & Equals).

Answer 3

//HashSet allows only the unique values to the list
HashSet<int> uniqueList = new HashSet<int>();

var a = uniqueList.Add(1);
var b = uniqueList.Add(2);
var c = uniqueList.Add(3);
var d = uniqueList.Add(2); // should not be added to the list but will not crash the app

//Dictionary allows only the unique Keys to the list, Values can be repeated
Dictionary<int, string> dict = new Dictionary<int, string>();

dict.Add(1,"Happy");
dict.Add(2, "Smile");
dict.Add(3, "Happy");
dict.Add(2, "Sad"); // should be failed // Run time error "An item with the same key has already been added." App will crash

//Dictionary allows only the unique Keys to the list, Values can be repeated
Dictionary<string, int> dictRev = new Dictionary<string, int>();

dictRev.Add("Happy", 1);
dictRev.Add("Smile", 2);
dictRev.Add("Happy", 3); // should be failed // Run time error "An item with the same key has already been added." App will crash
dictRev.Add("Sad", 2);