Dictionary<TKey,TValue>.ContainsKey(TKey) Method
Definition
Determines whether the Dictionary<TKey,TValue> contains the specified key.
public:
virtual bool ContainsKey(TKey key);
public bool ContainsKey (TKey key);
abstract member ContainsKey : 'Key -> bool
override this.ContainsKey : 'Key -> bool
Public Function ContainsKey (key As TKey) As Boolean
Parameters
- key
- TKey
The key to locate in the Dictionary<TKey,TValue>.
Returns
true
if the Dictionary<TKey,TValue> contains an element with the specified key; otherwise, false
.
Implements
Exceptions
key
is null
.
Examples
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<TKey,TValue> class (openWith
is the name of the Dictionary used in this example).
// 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"]);
}
// 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"]);
}
' 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.
String^ value = "";
if (openWith->TryGetValue("tif", value))
{
Console::WriteLine("For key = \"tif\", value = {0}.", value);
}
else
{
Console::WriteLine("Key = \"tif\" is not found.");
}
// 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.");
}
' 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 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.");
}
// 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.");
}
' 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
Remarks
This method approaches an O(1) operation.