IComparable(Of T).CompareTo Method
Compares the current object with another object of the same type.
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
- Type: T
An object to compare with this object.
Return ValueType: System.Int32
A 32-bit signed integer that indicates the relative order of the objects being compared. The return value has the following meanings:
Less than zero
This object is less than the other parameter.
This object is equal to other.
Greater than zero
This object is greater than other.
provides a strongly typed comparison method for ordering members of a generic collection object. Because of this, it is usually not called directly from developer code. Instead, it is called automatically by the List(Of T).Sort method.
This method is only a definition and must be implemented by a specific class or value type to have effect. The meaning of the comparisons, "less than," "equal to," and "greater than," depends on the particular implementation.
By definition, any object compares greater than Nothing, and two null references compare equal to each other.Notes to Implementers
For objects A, B, and C, the following must be true:
A.CompareTo(A) is required to return zero.
If A.CompareTo(B) returns zero, then B.CompareTo(A) is required to return zero.
If A.CompareTo(B) returns zero and B.CompareTo(C) returns zero, then A.CompareTo(C) is required to return zero.
If A.CompareTo(B) returns a value other than zero, then B.CompareTo(A) is required to return a value of the opposite sign.
If A.CompareTo(B) returns a value x that is not equal to zero, and B.CompareTo(C) returns a value y of the same sign as x, then A.CompareTo(C) is required to return a value of the same sign as x and y.Notes to Callers
Use the method to determine the ordering of instances of a class.
The following example illustrates the implementation of IComparable for an Address object. The example uses the generic List(Of T) object to create a collection of addresses. The List(Of T) object uses the IComparable(Of T) implementation to sort the list entries, which are then displayed in sorted order.
Public Class Address : Implements IComparable(Of Address) Private addr1, addr2, cty, st, coun, postal As String Public Sub New(address1 As String, address2 As String, city As String, _ state As String, postal As String, country As String) Me.addr1 = address1 Me.addr2 = address2 Me.cty = city Me.st = state Me.coun = country Me.postal = postalCode End Sub Public Property Address1 As String Get Return Me.addr1 End Get Set Me.addr1 = value End Set End Property Public Property Address2 As String Get Return Me.addr2 End Get Set Me.addr2 = value End Set End Property Public Property City As String Get Return Me.cty End Get Set Me.cty = value End Set End Property Public Property State As String Get Return Me.st End Get Set Me.st = value End Set End Property Public Property Country As String Get Return Me.coun End Get Set Me.coun = value End Set End Property Public Property PostalCode As String Get Return Me.postal End Get Set Me.postal = value End Set End Property Public Overrides Function ToString() As String Return addr1 & vbCrLf & CStr(IIf(Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(addr2), addr2 & vbCrLf, "")) _ & cty & ", " & st & " " & postal & " " & coun End Function Public Function CompareTo(other As Address) As Integer _ Implements IComparable(Of Address).CompareTo ' If other is Nothing, this instance is greater. If other Is Nothing Then Return 1 Dim otherAddress As String = other.Country & other.State & other.PostalCode & _ other.City & other.Address1 & other.Address2 Return (coun & st & postal & cty & addr1 & addr2).CompareTo(otherAddress) End Function End Class Module Example Public Sub Demo(outputBlock As System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock) Dim addresses As New List(Of Address) addresses.Add(New Address("106 East 5th St.", "", "New City", "MI", "48002", "USA")) addresses.Add(New Address("47 East End Rd.", "", "Huxenplux", "NJ", "20203", "USA")) addresses.Add(New Address("12043 N.E. 72nd St.", "", "Belleville", "WA", "98101", "USA")) addresses.Sort() For Each address As Address In addresses outputBlock.Text &= address.ToString() & vbCrLf & vbCrLf Next End Sub End Module
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