C# Java HashMap equivalent

From C# equivalent to Java HashMap

I needed a Dictionary which accepted a "null" key, but there seems to be no native one, so I have written my own. It's very simple, actually. I inherited from Dictionary, added a private field to hold the value for the "null" key, then overwritten the indexer. It goes like this :

public class NullableDictionnary : Dictionary<string, string>
{
    string null_value;

    public StringDictionary this[string key]
    {
        get
        {
            if (key == null) 
            {
                return null_value;
            }
            return base[key];
        }
        set
        {
            if (key == null)
            {
                null_value = value;
            }
            else 
            {
                base[key] = value;
            }
        }
    }
}

Hope this helps someone in the future.

==========

I modified it to this format

public class NullableDictionnary : Dictionary<string, object>

Use Dictionary - it uses hashtable but is typesafe.

Also, your Java code for

int a = map.get(key);
//continue with your logic

will be best coded in C# this way:

int a;
if(dict.TryGetValue(key, out a)){
//continue with your logic
}

This way, you can scope the need of variable "a" inside a block and it is still accessible outside the block if you need it later.

I just wanted to give my two cents.
This is according to @Powerlord 's answer.

Puts "null" instead of null strings.

private static Dictionary<string, string> map = new Dictionary<string, string>();

public static void put(string key, string value)
{
    if (value == null) value = "null";
    map[key] = value;
}

public static string get(string key, string defaultValue)
{
    try
    {
        return map[key];
    }
    catch (KeyNotFoundException e)
    {
        return defaultValue;
    }
}

public static string get(string key)
{
    return get(key, "null");
}