Why Choose Dictionaries Over Hashtables in C# .NET?

Why is dictionary better than hash table in C# .NET?

In the world of programming, there has always been a heated discussion about whether dictionaries or hash tables are preferred in various languages, including C#. To understand the rationale for this choice, let’s dive into the concepts behind it and explore the key advantages that dictionaries offer.

Reason 1: Generics

One decisive difference between dictionaries and hash tables is the use of generics. Hash tables are non-generic, while dictionaries are generic types. This distinction has a significant impact on code because dictionaries allow type safety and eliminate explicit type conversions.

Reason 2: Grammar and Readability

Dictionaries provide concise and intuitive syntax, making code easier to read and maintain. For example, accessing elements in a dictionary uses the familiar index notation:

<code class="language-csharp">Dictionary<string, int> dictionary = new Dictionary<string, int>();
int value = dictionary["Name"];</code>

Implementation details

Interestingly, the implementation of dictionaries in the .NET Framework is based on hash tables. This can be seen from the following comments in the source code:

<code class="language-csharp">The generic Dictionary was copied from Hashtable's source</code>

Essentially, dictionaries utilize the underlying hash table implementation while providing a more user-friendly and type-safe interface.

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