ObservableRangeCollection in .NET MAUI

#dotnet #dotnetmaui #csharp

ObservableRangeCollection is a versatile data structure in C# that offers seamless handling of dynamic collections. Whether you’re building a mobile app, or working on any other software project, understanding how ObservableRangeCollection works can significantly enhance your development experience.

At its core, ObservableRangeCollection provides a noteworthy feature: it automatically notifies subscribers when items are added, removed, or when the entire list undergoes a refresh. This real-time feedback ensures that your UI stays up-to-date, making it ideal for scenarios where data changes frequently.

In this article, I will share an extension that is going to be very helpful for mobile development in .NET MAUI.

Create an extension

On your MAUI project, create a class: ObservableRangeCollection.cs, I personally create a folder at root level called: Extensions and then I add the clase under that folder.
Copy and paste into your class the code below:

Now you should be able to use this new data type into your code. For example:

ObservableRangeCollection<Item> items;
items = new ObservableRangeCollection<Item>();

Conclusion

One of the benefits of using an ObservableRangeCollection is the performance. So, I personally recommend it for all your mobile apps wherever you need a list of data with real-time UI updates, otherwise, it is most performant to use a simple List.

Thank you for reading!

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