C# Distinct ArrayLists

Questions & Answers
1

Question: Is there a way to make an arrayList distinct without having to manually search the array list at each insertion? If not is there a better Collection I should use to get the desired effect?

Case: I am adding all the tags of which my main object collides into the array. I only want each to be added once, so I can eventually parse out the amount of objects hit and give point accordingly.

What I am after:

void OnCollisionEnter( Collision collision ){
  //Add tag to the arraylist
  myArrayList.Add( collision.tag );
  //Keep the arraylist distinct //Todo don't call this after each collision.
  myArrayList.Distinct(); //Does not exist
}
2

Don’t use ArrayList, use generic List.

3

If order is not important, use a HashSet. It guarantees that only distinct objects are added to it in the first place.

If you need a specific order, then use a list and make a Contains check before you add the item, or use a list and a HashSet. In the second case, the hashset will be a quick index to test whether you already have the item added.

Example 1: List with contains check:

if (myArrayList.Contains( collision.tag ) == false)
{
  myArrayList.Add ( collision.tag );
}

Example 2: Using both a HashSet and a List

HashSet index = new HashSet();

void OnCollisionEnter( Collision collision ){
  if (index.Contains(collision.tag))
     return;

  //Add tag to the arraylist
  myArrayList.Add( collision.tag );
  index.Add (collision.tag );
}

For a small number of items, the list with the contains check should be sufficiently fast. For a larger number of items (100 or more), the hashset will speed things up for you.

4

@CostelloNicho
using system.linq;

yourlist = yourlist.district().tolist();