devxlogo

Use Objptr function to quickly locate an object in a Collection

Use Objptr function to quickly locate an object in a Collection

One of the simplest and most effective uses of the ObjPtr function is to provide a key for quickly locating an object in a Collection. Let’s suppose you have a collection of objects that don’t have a property that can be used as a key to retrieve them in a collection. You can work around this by using the value returned by the ObjPtr function as the key in the collection:

Dim col As New CollectionDim obj As CPerson' create a new CPerson object and add it to the collectionSet obj = New CPersonobj.Name = "John Smith"col.Add obj, CStr(ObjPtr(obj))  'the key must be a string

Because any object has a distinct ObjPtr value, and this value is guaranteed immutable, it is very easily to quickly retrieve it in the collection:

' remove the object from the collectioncol.Remove CStr(ObjPtr(obj))

The same trick can be applied to any type of objects, including VB forms and controls, and external objects.

devxblackblue

About Our Editorial Process

At DevX, we’re dedicated to tech entrepreneurship. Our team closely follows industry shifts, new products, AI breakthroughs, technology trends, and funding announcements. Articles undergo thorough editing to ensure accuracy and clarity, reflecting DevX’s style and supporting entrepreneurs in the tech sphere.

See our full editorial policy.

About Our Journalist