KeyValuePair VS DictionaryEntry

 

KeyValuePair<T,T> is used in place of DictionaryEntry because it is generified. The advantage of using a KeyValuePair<T,T> is that we can give the compiler more information about what is in our dictionary. To expand on Chris' example (in which we have two dictionaries containing <string, int> pairs).

Dictionary<string, int> MyDictionary = new Dictionary<string, int>(); 
foreach (KeyValuePair<string, int> item in MyDictionary) 
{ 
  int i = item.Value; 
} 
 
Hashtable MyHashtable = new Hashtable(); 
foreach (DictionaryEntry item in MyHashtable) 
{ 
  // Cast required because compiler doesn't know it's a <string, int> pair. 
  int i = (int) item.Value; 
}