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Explain the difference between generic collections and non-generic collections in C#

Steilla Mitchel18703-Nov-2023

Explain the difference between generic collections and non-generic collections in C#

c#c# collection generics 
Updated on 20-Nov-2023
Steilla Mitchel

Steilla Mitchel

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Aryan Kumar

Aryan Kumar

20-Nov-2023

Certainly! In C#, the main difference between generic collections and non-generic collections lies in the type of elements they can hold.

Generic Collections:

  • Definition: Generic collections are collections that can hold elements of a specific type, known at compile-time.
  • Advantage: They provide type safety, ensuring that you can only add elements of the specified type to the collection.
  • Example: In C#, List<T>, Dictionary<TKey, TValue>, and Queue<T> are examples of generic collections. Here, T represents the type of elements the collection can hold.

Non-Generic Collections:

  • Definition: Non-generic collections are collections that can hold elements of type object, allowing them to store any type of object.
  • Drawback: They lack type safety, as you can add any object to the collection without compile-time type checking.
  • Example: In C#, ArrayList, Hashtable, and Queue (non-generic version) are examples of non-generic collections.

In summary, the key distinction is that generic collections provide type safety by specifying the type of elements they can hold at compile-time, while non-generic collections work with objects of type object, allowing for greater flexibility but sacrificing compile-time type checking. It's generally recommended to use generic collections when possible for type safety and improved performance.

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