How to: Create a Collection Used by a Collection Initializer (Visual Basic)
When you use a collection initializer to create a collection, the Visual Basic compiler searches for an Add method of the collection type for which the parameters for the Add method match the types of the values in the collection initializer. This Add method is used to populate the collection with the values from the collection initializer.
Example
The following example shows an OrderCollection collection that contains a public Add method that a collection initializer can use to add objects of type Order. The Add method enables you to use the shortened collection initializer syntax.
Public Class Customer
Public Property Id As Integer
Public Property Name As String
Public Property Orders As OrderCollection
Public Sub New(ByVal id As Integer, ByVal name As String, ByVal orders As OrderCollection)
Me.Id = id
Me.Name = name
Me.Orders = orders
End Sub
End Class
Public Class Order
Public Property Id As Integer
Public Property CustomerId As Integer
Public Property OrderDate As DateTime
Public Sub New(ByVal id As Integer,
ByVal customerId As Integer,
ByVal orderDate As DateTime)
Me.Id = id
Me.CustomerId = customerId
Me.OrderDate = orderDate
End Sub
End Class
Public Class OrderCollection
Implements IEnumerable(Of Order)
Dim items As New List(Of Order)
Public Property Item(ByVal index As Integer) As Order
Get
Return CType(Me(index), Order)
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Order)
items(index) = value
End Set
End Property
Public Sub Add(ByVal id As Integer, ByVal customerID As Integer, ByVal orderDate As DateTime)
items.Add(New Order(id, customerID, orderDate))
End Sub
Public Function GetEnumerator() As IEnumerator(Of Order) Implements IEnumerable(Of Order).GetEnumerator
Return items.GetEnumerator()
End Function
Public Function GetEnumerator1() As IEnumerator Implements IEnumerable.GetEnumerator
Return Me.GetEnumerator()
End Function
End Class
Imports System.Runtime.CompilerServices
Module Module1
<Extension()>
Sub Add(ByVal genericList As List(Of Customer),
ByVal id As Integer,
ByVal name As String,
ByVal orders As OrderCollection)
genericList.Add(New Customer(id, name, orders))
End Sub
End Module
Dim customerList = New List(Of Customer) From
{
{1, "John Rodman", New OrderCollection From {{9, 1, #6/12/2008#},
{8, 1, #6/11/2008#},
{5, 1, #5/1/2008#}}},
{2, "Ariane Berthier", New OrderCollection From {{2, 2, #1/18/2008#},
{4, 2, #3/8/2008#},
{6, 2, #3/18/2008#},
{7, 2, #5/14/2008#},
{5, 2, #4/4/2008#}}},
{3, "Brian Perry", New OrderCollection From {{1, 3, #1/15/2008#},
{3, 3, #3/8/2008#}}}
}
See Also
Tasks
How to: Create an Add Extension Method Used by a Collection Initializer (Visual Basic)