Store Collection of Data Fields and Retrieve Via Identifier

Question

In C#, how can I store a collection of values so if I want to retrieve a particular value later, I can do something like:

myCollection["Area1"].AreaCount = 50;

or

count = myCollection["Area1"].AreaCount;

Generic list?

I'd like to store more than one property to a "key". Is a class the answer?

Answer 1

You're looking for the Dictionary<string, YourClass> class. (Where YourClass has an AreaCount property)

Answer 2

This functionality is provided by indexers

Answer 3

EDIT
Based on your comment, it seems like you want a Dictionary (as already suggested) where your object holds all your 'values.'

For Instance:

public class MyClass
{
   public int AreaCount;
   public string foo;
   public bool bar;
}

//Create dictionary to hold, and a loop to make, objects:
Dictionary<string, MyClass> myDict = new Dictionary<string, MyClass>();
while(condition)
{ 
   string name = getName(); //To generate the string keys you want
   MyClass mC = new MyClass();
   myDict.Add(name, mC);
}

//pull out yours and modify AreaCount
myDict["Area1"].Value.AreaCount = 50;

Alternatively, you could add a string "Name" to you class (I'm using fields for the example, you'd probably use properties) and use Linq:

//Now we have a list just of your class (assume we've already got it)
myClass instanceToChange = (from items in myList
                          where Name == "Area1"
                          select item).FirstOrDefault();

myClass.AreaCount = 50;

Does that help more?

ORIGINAL RESPONSE
I'm not completely sure what you're asking, but I'll give it ago.

Given a list of Objects from which you need to grab a particular object, there are (generally) 4 ways- depending on your specific needs.

The Generic List<T> really only does this well at all if your object already supports some kind of searching (like String.Contains()).

A SortedList uses IComparer to compare and sort the Key values and arrange the list that way.

A Dictionary stores a Key and Value so that KeyValuePair objects can be retrieved.

A HashTable uses Keys and Values where the Keys must implement GetHashCode() and ObjectEquals

The specific one you need will vary based on your specific requirements.