Does the out parameter in Dictionary.TryGetValue point by reference to the value [closed]

Question

Consider if I have a Dictionary<Key,List<item>> TestDictionary

If I do:

List<item> someCollection;
TestDictionary.TryGetValue(someKey,out someCollection); //assuming that someCollection will not return null;
someCollection.add(someItem);

Will the object someItem be added to the collection in the Dictionary value TestDictionary[someKey] ?

Answer 1

Yes, you will have a reference of the object if it is a Ref type, and of course a copy if it is a Value type

Answer 2

Jon Skeet posted great article on this regard. But, anyway, here code snippet that can help you:

class Item
{}

void Main()
{
    var dictionary = new Dictionary<int, Item>();
    dictionary[1] = new Item();

    Item i1;
    Item i2;

    dictionary.TryGetValue(1, out i1);
    dictionary.TryGetValue(1, out i2);

    Debug.Assert(object.ReferenceEquals(i1, i2));
}