[c#] Compare two objects' properties to find differences?

I have two objects of the same type, and I want to loop through the public properties on each of them and alert the user about which properties don't match.

Is it possible to do this without knowing what properties the object contains?

Comparing two objects of the same type using LINQ and Reflection. NB! This is basically a rewrite of the solution from Jon Skeet, but with a more compact and modern syntax. It should also generate slightly more effecticve IL.

It goes something like this:

public bool ReflectiveEquals(LocalHdTicket serverTicket, LocalHdTicket localTicket)
  {
     if (serverTicket == null && localTicket == null) return true;
     if (serverTicket == null || localTicket == null) return false;

     var firstType = serverTicket.GetType();
     // Handle type mismatch anyway you please:
     if(localTicket.GetType() != firstType) throw new Exception("Trying to compare two different object types!");

     return !(from propertyInfo in firstType.GetProperties() 
              where propertyInfo.CanRead 
              let serverValue = propertyInfo.GetValue(serverTicket, null) 
              let localValue = propertyInfo.GetValue(localTicket, null) 
              where !Equals(serverValue, localValue) 
              select serverValue).Any();
  }

Compare NET Objects can help you!

CompareLogic logic = new CompareLogic();
var compare = logic.Compare(obj1, obj2);
comparacao.Differences.ForEach(diff => Debug.Write(diff.PropertyName));
// Or formatted summary
Debug.Write(comparacao.DifferencesString);

As many mentioned the recursive approach, this is the function you can pass the searched name and the property to begin with to:

    public static void loopAttributes(PropertyInfo prop, string targetAttribute, object tempObject)
    {
        foreach (PropertyInfo nestedProp in prop.PropertyType.GetProperties())
        {
            if(nestedProp.Name == targetAttribute)
            {
                //found the matching attribute
            }
            loopAttributes(nestedProp, targetAttribute, prop.GetValue(tempObject);
        }
    }

//in the main function
foreach (PropertyInfo prop in rootObject.GetType().GetProperties())
{
    loopAttributes(prop, targetAttribute, rootObject);
}

The real problem: How to get the difference of two sets?

The fastest way I've found is to convert the sets to dictionaries first, then diff 'em. Here's a generic approach:

static IEnumerable<T> DictionaryDiff<K, T>(Dictionary<K, T> d1, Dictionary<K, T> d2)
{
    return from x in d1 where !d2.ContainsKey(x.Key) select x.Value;
}

Then you can do something like this:

static public IEnumerable<PropertyInfo> PropertyDiff(Type t1, Type t2)
{
    var d1 = t1.GetProperties().ToDictionary(x => x.Name);
    var d2 = t2.GetProperties().ToDictionary(x => x.Name);
    return DictionaryDiff(d1, d2);
}

Type.GetProperties will list each of the properties of a given type. Then use PropertyInfo.GetValue to check the values.

I know this is probably overkill, but here's my ObjectComparer class I use for this very purpose:

/// <summary>
/// Utility class for comparing objects.
/// </summary>
public static class ObjectComparer
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Compares the public properties of any 2 objects and determines if the properties of each
    /// all contain the same value.
    /// <para> 
    /// In cases where object1 and object2 are of different Types (both being derived from Type T) 
    /// we will cast both objects down to the base Type T to ensure the property comparison is only 
    /// completed on COMMON properties.
    /// (ex. Type T is Foo, object1 is GoodFoo and object2 is BadFoo -- both being inherited from Foo --
    /// both objects will be cast to Foo for comparison)
    /// </para>
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="T">Any class with public properties.</typeparam>
    /// <param name="object1">Object to compare to object2.</param>
    /// <param name="object2">Object to compare to object1.</param>
    /// <param name="propertyInfoList">A List of <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> objects that contain data on the properties
    /// from object1 that are not equal to the corresponding properties of object2.</param>
    /// <returns>A boolean value indicating whether or not the properties of each object match.</returns>
    public static bool GetDifferentProperties<T> ( T object1 , T object2 , out List<PropertyInfo> propertyInfoList )
        where T : class
    {
        return GetDifferentProperties<T>( object1 , object2 , null , out propertyInfoList );
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Compares the public properties of any 2 objects and determines if the properties of each
    /// all contain the same value.
    /// <para> 
    /// In cases where object1 and object2 are of different Types (both being derived from Type T) 
    /// we will cast both objects down to the base Type T to ensure the property comparison is only 
    /// completed on COMMON properties.
    /// (ex. Type T is Foo, object1 is GoodFoo and object2 is BadFoo -- both being inherited from Foo --
    /// both objects will be cast to Foo for comparison)
    /// </para>
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="T">Any class with public properties.</typeparam>
    /// <param name="object1">Object to compare to object2.</param>
    /// <param name="object2">Object to compare to object1.</param>
    /// <param name="ignoredProperties">A list of <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> objects
    /// to ignore when completing the comparison.</param>
    /// <param name="propertyInfoList">A List of <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> objects that contain data on the properties
    /// from object1 that are not equal to the corresponding properties of object2.</param>
    /// <returns>A boolean value indicating whether or not the properties of each object match.</returns>
    public static bool GetDifferentProperties<T> ( T object1 , T object2 , List<PropertyInfo> ignoredProperties , out List<PropertyInfo> propertyInfoList )
        where T : class
    {
        propertyInfoList = new List<PropertyInfo>();

        // If either object is null, we can't compare anything
        if ( object1 == null || object2 == null )
        {
            return false;
        }

        Type object1Type = object1.GetType();
        Type object2Type = object2.GetType();

        // In cases where object1 and object2 are of different Types (both being derived from Type T) 
        // we will cast both objects down to the base Type T to ensure the property comparison is only 
        // completed on COMMON properties.
        // (ex. Type T is Foo, object1 is GoodFoo and object2 is BadFoo -- both being inherited from Foo --
        // both objects will be cast to Foo for comparison)
        if ( object1Type != object2Type )
        {
            object1Type = typeof ( T );
            object2Type = typeof ( T );
        }

        // Remove any properties to be ignored
        List<PropertyInfo> comparisonProps =
            RemoveProperties( object1Type.GetProperties() , ignoredProperties );

        foreach ( PropertyInfo object1Prop in comparisonProps )
        {
            Type propertyType = null;
            object object1PropValue = null;
            object object2PropValue = null;

            // Rule out an attempt to check against a property which requires
            // an index, such as one accessed via this[]
            if ( object1Prop.GetIndexParameters().GetLength( 0 ) == 0 )
            {
                // Get the value of each property
                object1PropValue = object1Prop.GetValue( object1 , null );
                object2PropValue = object2Type.GetProperty( object1Prop.Name ).GetValue( object2 , null );

                // As we are comparing 2 objects of the same type we know
                // that they both have the same properties, so grab the
                // first non-null value
                if ( object1PropValue != null )
                    propertyType = object1PropValue.GetType().GetInterface( "IComparable" );

                if ( propertyType == null )
                    if ( object2PropValue != null )
                        propertyType = object2PropValue.GetType().GetInterface( "IComparable" );
            }

            // If both objects have null values or were indexed properties, don't continue
            if ( propertyType != null )
            {
                // If one property value is null and the other is not null, 
                // they aren't equal; this is done here as a native CompareTo
                // won't work with a null value as the target
                if ( object1PropValue == null || object2PropValue == null )
                {
                    propertyInfoList.Add( object1Prop );
                }
                else
                {
                    // Use the native CompareTo method
                    MethodInfo nativeCompare = propertyType.GetMethod( "CompareTo" );

                    // Sanity Check:
                    // If we don't have a native CompareTo OR both values are null, we can't compare;
                    // hence, we can't confirm the values differ... just go to the next property
                    if ( nativeCompare != null )
                    {
                        // Return the native CompareTo result
                        bool equal = ( 0 == (int) ( nativeCompare.Invoke( object1PropValue , new object[] {object2PropValue} ) ) );

                        if ( !equal )
                        {
                            propertyInfoList.Add( object1Prop );
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        return propertyInfoList.Count == 0;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Compares the public properties of any 2 objects and determines if the properties of each
    /// all contain the same value.
    /// <para> 
    /// In cases where object1 and object2 are of different Types (both being derived from Type T) 
    /// we will cast both objects down to the base Type T to ensure the property comparison is only 
    /// completed on COMMON properties.
    /// (ex. Type T is Foo, object1 is GoodFoo and object2 is BadFoo -- both being inherited from Foo --
    /// both objects will be cast to Foo for comparison)
    /// </para>
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="T">Any class with public properties.</typeparam>
    /// <param name="object1">Object to compare to object2.</param>
    /// <param name="object2">Object to compare to object1.</param>
    /// <returns>A boolean value indicating whether or not the properties of each object match.</returns>
    public static bool HasSamePropertyValues<T> ( T object1 , T object2 )
        where T : class
    {
        return HasSamePropertyValues<T>( object1 , object2 , null );
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Compares the public properties of any 2 objects and determines if the properties of each
    /// all contain the same value.
    /// <para> 
    /// In cases where object1 and object2 are of different Types (both being derived from Type T) 
    /// we will cast both objects down to the base Type T to ensure the property comparison is only 
    /// completed on COMMON properties.
    /// (ex. Type T is Foo, object1 is GoodFoo and object2 is BadFoo -- both being inherited from Foo --
    /// both objects will be cast to Foo for comparison)
    /// </para>
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="T">Any class with public properties.</typeparam>
    /// <param name="object1">Object to compare to object2.</param>
    /// <param name="object2">Object to compare to object1.</param>
    /// <param name="ignoredProperties">A list of <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> objects
    /// to ignore when completing the comparison.</param>
    /// <returns>A boolean value indicating whether or not the properties of each object match.</returns>
    public static bool HasSamePropertyValues<T> ( T object1 , T object2 , List<PropertyInfo> ignoredProperties )
        where T : class
    {

        // If either object is null, we can't compare anything
        if ( object1 == null || object2 == null )
        {
            return false;
        }

        Type object1Type = object1.GetType();
        Type object2Type = object2.GetType();

        // In cases where object1 and object2 are of different Types (both being derived from Type T) 
        // we will cast both objects down to the base Type T to ensure the property comparison is only 
        // completed on COMMON properties.
        // (ex. Type T is Foo, object1 is GoodFoo and object2 is BadFoo -- both being inherited from Foo --
        // both objects will be cast to Foo for comparison)
        if ( object1Type != object2Type )
        {
            object1Type = typeof ( T );
            object2Type = typeof ( T );
        }

        // Remove any properties to be ignored
        List<PropertyInfo> comparisonProps =
            RemoveProperties( object1Type.GetProperties() , ignoredProperties );

        foreach ( PropertyInfo object1Prop in comparisonProps )
        {
            Type propertyType = null;
            object object1PropValue = null;
            object object2PropValue = null;

            // Rule out an attempt to check against a property which requires
            // an index, such as one accessed via this[]
            if ( object1Prop.GetIndexParameters().GetLength( 0 ) == 0 )
            {
                // Get the value of each property
                object1PropValue = object1Prop.GetValue( object1 , null );
                object2PropValue = object2Type.GetProperty( object1Prop.Name ).GetValue( object2 , null );

                // As we are comparing 2 objects of the same type we know
                // that they both have the same properties, so grab the
                // first non-null value
                if ( object1PropValue != null )
                    propertyType = object1PropValue.GetType().GetInterface( "IComparable" );

                if ( propertyType == null )
                    if ( object2PropValue != null )
                        propertyType = object2PropValue.GetType().GetInterface( "IComparable" );
            }

            // If both objects have null values or were indexed properties, don't continue
            if ( propertyType != null )
            {
                // If one property value is null and the other is not null, 
                // they aren't equal; this is done here as a native CompareTo
                // won't work with a null value as the target
                if ( object1PropValue == null || object2PropValue == null )
                {
                    return false;
                }

                // Use the native CompareTo method
                MethodInfo nativeCompare = propertyType.GetMethod( "CompareTo" );

                // Sanity Check:
                // If we don't have a native CompareTo OR both values are null, we can't compare;
                // hence, we can't confirm the values differ... just go to the next property
                if ( nativeCompare != null )
                {
                    // Return the native CompareTo result
                    bool equal = ( 0 == (int) ( nativeCompare.Invoke( object1PropValue , new object[] {object2PropValue} ) ) );

                    if ( !equal )
                    {
                        return false;
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        return true;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Removes any <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> object in the supplied List of 
    /// properties from the supplied Array of properties.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="allProperties">Array containing master list of 
    /// <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> objects.</param>
    /// <param name="propertiesToRemove">List of <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> objects to
    /// remove from the supplied array of properties.</param>
    /// <returns>A List of <see cref="PropertyInfo"/> objects.</returns>
    private static List<PropertyInfo> RemoveProperties (
        IEnumerable<PropertyInfo> allProperties , IEnumerable<PropertyInfo> propertiesToRemove )
    {
        List<PropertyInfo> innerPropertyList = new List<PropertyInfo>();

        // Add all properties to a list for easy manipulation
        foreach ( PropertyInfo prop in allProperties )
        {
            innerPropertyList.Add( prop );
        }

        // Sanity check
        if ( propertiesToRemove != null )
        {
            // Iterate through the properties to ignore and remove them from the list of 
            // all properties, if they exist
            foreach ( PropertyInfo ignoredProp in propertiesToRemove )
            {
                if ( innerPropertyList.Contains( ignoredProp ) )
                {
                    innerPropertyList.Remove( ignoredProp );
                }
            }
        }

        return innerPropertyList;
    }
}

Yes. Use Reflection. With Reflection, you can do things like:

//given object of some type
object myObjectFromSomewhere;
Type myObjOriginalType = myObjectFromSomewhere.GetType();
PropertyInfo[] myProps = myObjOriginalType.GetProperties();

And then you can use the resulting PropertyInfo classes to compare all manner of things.

Sure you can with reflection. Here is the code to grab the properties off of a given type.

var info = typeof(SomeType).GetProperties();

If you can give more info on what you're comparing about the properties we can get together a basic diffing algorithmn. This code for intstance will diff on names

public bool AreDifferent(Type t1, Type t2) {
  var list1 = t1.GetProperties().OrderBy(x => x.Name).Select(x => x.Name);
  var list2 = t2.GetProperties().OrderBy(x => x.Name).Select(x => x.Name);
  return list1.SequenceEqual(list2);
}