VB.NET - Hashtable Type - Dot Net Perls

Hashtable. This VB.NET type performs fast lookups from any key. It returns a previously specified value. It is slower and harder to use than Dictionary, so should be avoided.

Dictionary

This example allocates a new Hashtable upon the managed heap. It then adds 3 key-value pairs to the data structure. The string "bird" is associated with the integer 1, for example.

Integer

Finally We use the DictionaryEntry type on the iteration variable and then access the Key and Value properties in the For-Each loop body.

For

Tip The Hashtable does not store its contents in the order they were added—notice how the 3 strings are in a new ordering when printed.

Console.WriteLine

Module Module1 Sub Main() ' Create an example Hashtable instance. Dim table As Hashtable = New Hashtable table("bird") = 1 table("cat") = 2 table("dog") = 10 ' Use For Each loop over the Hashtable. For Each element As DictionaryEntry In table Console.WriteLine(element.Key) Console.WriteLine(element.Value) Next End Sub End Module

dog 10 bird 1 cat 2

Contains. We test functions on the Hashtable that determine the existence of certain keys. We use ContainsKey, Contains, and ContainsValue—each of these returns a Boolean value.

Finally We look up the value associated with the key "Area", which is the Integer 1000.

Module Module1 Function GetHashtable() As Hashtable Dim table As Hashtable = New Hashtable table.Add("Area", 1000) table.Add("Perimeter", 55) table.Add("Mortgage", 540) Return table End Function Sub Main() ' Create an example Hashtable instance. Dim table As Hashtable = GetHashtable() ' Test Contains* functions. Console.WriteLine(table.ContainsKey("Perimeter")) Console.WriteLine(table.Contains("Area")) Console.WriteLine(table.ContainsValue(55)) ' Look up area. Dim area As Integer = table("Area") Console.WriteLine(area) End Sub End Module

True True True 1000

Get values. Typically, performing lookups on a Hashtable is the most common operation. In this example, we create a new hashtable. We add two key-value pairs to it.

Note One key is of type Integer, and one key is of type String. One value is of type Integer, and one value is of type String as well.

Next We employ the As syntax to assign a type to the values returned from the lookup.

Then We display the results to the screen. If the values returned did not have a matching type, an exception would occur.

Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim table As Hashtable = New Hashtable table.Add(300, "Carrot") table.Add("Area", 1000) ' Get string and integer values. Dim value1 As String = table(300) Dim value2 As Integer = table("Area") ' Display values. Console.WriteLine(value1) Console.WriteLine(value2) End Sub End Module

Carrot 1000

TypeOf. To check types, we use the TypeOf operator and the Is-operator. After successfully determining the type, you can then use another local variable to cast it and later use it.

TryCast

IsNot, Is

Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim table As Hashtable = New Hashtable table.Add(100, "Perl") ' Get string and integer values. Dim value1 = table(100) ' Use TypeOf operator to test type of hashtable value. If (TypeOf value1 Is String) Then ' Cast. Dim value As String = value1 Console.WriteLine(value) End If End Sub End Module

Perl

Clear, Count. Often, we want to determine how many key-value pairs are contained in the Hashtable, or erase all the pairs. We use the Count property and the Clear function.

Next In this example, the Hashtable first contains three key-value pairs. We then clear it, and it contains zero pairs.

Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim table As Hashtable = New Hashtable table.Add(100, "Perl") table.Add(200, "Dot") table.Add(300, "Net") ' Current count. Console.WriteLine(table.Count) ' Clear. table.Clear() ' Current count is now zero. Console.WriteLine(table.Count) End Sub End Module

3 0

TryCast. This program adds 2 values of different types to a Hashtable. It then uses TryCast to cast the values. So this Hashtable can contain Strings and other Hashtables (nested ones).

Object

Info If TryCast succeeds, it returns the cast variable. If it fails, it returns Nothing: we can test for this value.

Module Module1 Sub Main() ' Store reference types as values. Dim table As Hashtable = New Hashtable table(1) = "One" table(2) = New Hashtable ' Cast Hashtable values to Hashtables. Dim value As Hashtable = TryCast(table(1), Hashtable) Dim value2 As Hashtable = TryCast(table(2), Hashtable) ' Value is Nothing. If value Is Nothing Then Console.WriteLine(1) End If ' Value2 is not Nothing: the cast succeeded. If Not value2 Is Nothing Then Console.WriteLine(2) End If End Sub End Module

1 2

Performance note. How well does the Hashtable collection perform in benchmarks? Unfortunately, the Hashtable is typically slower than the newer Dictionary type.

Note This is because values must be cast when they are retrieved from the HashTable. Generics eliminate this cost.

Summary. As a fast lookup data structure, Hashtable enables certain search algorithms. Even though it has been replaced by the Dictionary type, Hashtable is still in wide use.

Dot Net Perls is a collection of tested code examples. Pages are continually updated to stay current, with code correctness a top priority.

Sam Allen is passionate about computer languages. In the past, his work has been recommended by Apple and Microsoft and he has studied computers at a selective university in the United States.

This page was last updated on Sep 3, 2024 (edit link).

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