Enumerators vs. Dictionary

Question

What would be the difference using an Enumerator vs. a Dictionary in C#?

Bechir Bejaoui · Answer

A dictionary a pair key/Value objects container while an Enumerator is a protected field that means that it isn't directly used it is use through another objects like IEnumerator interface ti iterate objects

Dave · Answer

I will give you my thoughts on the issue. Firstly, by Enumerator, I am guessing you mean the primitive enum type. If you actually mean Enumerators in the enumerating over a collection sense, then my answer would differ. The big difference between dictionary and enum is that enum is a primitive type which is very simple to create, declare and work with. When talking about Dictionary , there is no actual Dictionary type. However, there are classes which implement the IDictionary interface. For example, the HashTable implements IDictionary , as it is a nongeneric collection of key/value pairs. SortedList also implements IDictionary . So basically, if you need to create a collection which uses key/value pairs, implementing IDictionary would be the way to go. However, if you just want a quick and dirty enumerated list which provides a finite list of options to choose from, the enum is more appropriate.

Enumerators vs. Dictionary

Answers (2)