C# .NET 3.5 - Performing list like operations on members of a list

I have a field object and I create a list of fields:

class Field {

string objectName;
string objectType;
string fieldName;
string fieldValue;

//constructor...

}



List<Field> fieldList = new List<Field>();

Suppose I wanted to query this list to return a collection of distinct object names (to then be inserted into a checkedlistbox. How would I go about doing that?

I imagine some LINQ magic can manage this?

From stackoverflow

• var q = from Field f select f.objectName; q = q.Distinct();

  chkListbox.DataSource = q;

• I want to query the list fieldList, not just the class field.

• Sorry, I mistyped:

  var q = from Field f in fileldList select f.objectName;

  chkBoxList.DataSource = q.Distinct();

  Nathan W : can you fix up your first answer not make a new one.

• The expression should return a List of distinct object names from the list as defined. I converted it to a list since the docs for the CheckedListBox DataSource property indicated that it needs to implement IList or IListSource, not merely IEnumerable.

  ((ListControl)cbListBox).DataSource = fieldList.Select( f => f.objectName )
                                                 .Distinct()
                                                 .ToList() );
  

  If accessing the checkedListBox as a ListControl doesn't give access to the DataSource (sometimes the docs lie), you could try:

  cbListBox.Items.AddRange( fieldList.Select( f => f.objectName )
                                     .Distinct()
                                     .ToArray() );
  

• Either of these work

  Using var

  1) var fieldNameCollection = from f in fieldList select f.FieldName; 2) Lambda syntax var fieldNameCollection = fieldList.Select(f => f.FieldName);

  Alternately, instead of using var, you can also use IEnumerable fieldNameCollection = fieldList.Select(f => f.FieldName);

• Brilliant.

  I'd like to give everyone some points, but i'll have to go with tvanfosson's answer because he was the first to give a complete description.

  Thanks all.

  tvanfosson : You can upvote all helpful answers...

  tvanfosson : FYI...you should add information to your question by editing or leaving comments (once able to) instead of adding an answer -- unless you are answering your own question, which sometimes happens.

• bleh, a problem.

  My checkedlistbox does not have the datasource property? This is a winforms apps (not WPF if that makes a difference.)

  tvanfosson : Docs say it does http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.checkedlistbox.aspx. You might have to cast it as a ListControl, though, to access it.