Namespace:
System.Collections.Generic
Assembly:
mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Visual Basic (Declaration)
Public Function ContainsKey ( _
key As TKey _
) As Boolean
Dim instance As Dictionary
Dim key As TKey
Dim returnValue As Boolean
returnValue = instance.ContainsKey(key)
public bool ContainsKey(
TKey key
)
public:
virtual bool ContainsKey(
TKey key
) sealed
public final function ContainsKey(
key : TKey
) : boolean
Implements
IDictionary<(Of <(TKey, TValue>)>)..::.ContainsKey(TKey)
| Exception | Condition |
|---|
| ArgumentNullException |
key is nullNothingnullptra null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic). |
This method approaches an O(1) operation.
The following code example shows how to use the ContainsKey method to test whether a key exists prior to calling the Add method. It also shows how to use the TryGetValue method to retrieve values, which is an efficient way to retrieve values when a program frequently tries keys that are not in the dictionary. Finally, it shows the least efficient way to test whether keys exist, by using the Item property (the indexer in C#).
This code example is part of a larger example provided for the Dictionary<(Of <(TKey, TValue>)>) class.
' ContainsKey can be used to test keys before inserting
' them.
If Not openWith.ContainsKey("ht") Then
openWith.Add("ht", "hypertrm.exe")
Console.WriteLine("Value added for key = ""ht"": {0}", _
openWith("ht"))
End If
...
' When a program often has to try keys that turn out not to
' be in the dictionary, TryGetValue can be a more efficient
' way to retrieve values.
Dim value As String = ""
If openWith.TryGetValue("tif", value) Then
Console.WriteLine("For key = ""tif"", value = {0}.", value)
Else
Console.WriteLine("Key = ""tif"" is not found.")
End If
...
' The default Item property throws an exception if the requested
' key is not in the dictionary.
Try
Console.WriteLine("For key = ""tif"", value = {0}.", _
openWith("tif"))
Catch
Console.WriteLine("Key = ""tif"" is not found.")
End Try
// ContainsKey can be used to test keys before inserting
// them.
if (!openWith.ContainsKey("ht"))
{
openWith.Add("ht", "hypertrm.exe");
Console.WriteLine("Value added for key = \"ht\": {0}",
openWith["ht"]);
}
...
// When a program often has to try keys that turn out not to
// be in the dictionary, TryGetValue can be a more efficient
// way to retrieve values.
string value = "";
if (openWith.TryGetValue("tif", out value))
{
Console.WriteLine("For key = \"tif\", value = {0}.", value);
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("Key = \"tif\" is not found.");
}
...
// The indexer throws an exception if the requested key is
// not in the dictionary.
try
{
Console.WriteLine("For key = \"tif\", value = {0}.",
openWith["tif"]);
}
catch (KeyNotFoundException)
{
Console.WriteLine("Key = \"tif\" is not found.");
}
Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, 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, Zune
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.
.NET Framework
Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0
.NET Compact Framework
Supported in: 3.5, 2.0
XNA Framework
Supported in: 3.0, 2.0, 1.0
Reference