List, IList, IEnumerable, IQueryable, ICollection, which is most flexible return type?

by

Collections are not generally very useful for DAL returns, because a collection does not implicitly guarantee order. It’s just a bucket of items. An IList, on the other hand, does implicitly guarantee order. So we’re down to IEnumerable or IList. The next question would be: is the List object “live”? i.e., is it connected to the data backing so that when you add an item to the IList, it will be reflected in the DB? For LINQ-to-SQL, this is not the case. Rather, you’re supposed to attach entities to the tables. So unless you supply this additional wiring, a List is superfluous. Stick with IEnumerable.

More Related Contents:

  1. HashSet vs. List performance
  2. Comparing two collections for equality irrespective of the order of items in them
  3. Entity Framework vs LINQ to SQL
  4. LINQ: When to use SingleOrDefault vs. FirstOrDefault() with filtering criteria
  5. Thread vs ThreadPool
  6. LINQ to SQL Left Outer Join
  7. How do I get the MAX row with a GROUP BY in LINQ query?
  8. What is the difference between List (of T) and Collection(of T)?
  9. Limit size of Queue in .NET?
  10. Does a List guarantee that items will be returned in the order they were added?
  11. Reports in SOA (Business Intelligence & Service Oriented Architecture)
  12. Sequential GUID in Linq-to-Sql?
  13. Why use LINQ Join on a simple one-many relationship?
  14. Asymptotic complexity of .NET collection classes
  15. How to use “contains” or “like” in a dynamic linq query?
  16. What are alternatives to generic collections for COM Interop?
  17. What can I do to resolve a “Row not found or changed” Exception in LINQ to SQL on a SQL Server Compact Edition Database?
  18. Which is faster: clear collection or instantiate new
  19. LinqToSql declare and instantiate DataContext best practice?
  20. Do you think it’s advantageous to switch to Entity Framework? [closed]
  21. Using Entity Framework entities as business objects?
  22. Create popup “toaster” notifications in Windows with .NET
  23. How do I make a ListBox refresh its item text?
  24. How do I solve an AntiForgeryToken exception that occurs after an iisreset in my ASP.Net MVC app?
  25. Getting SlowAES and RijndaelManaged class in .NET to play together
  26. is there an authorizeattribute equivalent to just standard web forms (not MVC) for .net
  27. Best Practices for uploading files to database
  28. How to use Reflection to Invoke an Overloaded Method in .NET
  29. Linq where column == (null reference) not the same as column == null
  30. How can I force a hard refresh (ctrl+F5)?

Leave a Comment