Question

I am trying to run this line of code:

Dim OrderedFiles() As String = Directory.GetFiles(FilePath).OrderBy(x >= x.CreationTime)

I get an error on x saying x is not declared.

I have my project set to Option Strict Off and Option Infer On. If I turn ON Option Strict then I get thousands of errors from the project(it is inherited) and I don’t have the time to fix all of them, but x no longer gives me an error. I have googled until I want to throw my computer out the window.

Any help on how to correct this statement would be appreciated.

Edit:

I was hoping for a more elegant solution but here is what I came up with to solve this particular problem.

    Dim fileList() As String = Directory.GetFiles(FilePath)
    Dim fileDate(fileList.Length - 1) As DateTime

    For i As Integer = 0 To fileList.Length - 1
        fileDate(i) = New FileInfo(fileList(i)).CreationTime
    Next

    Array.Sort(fileDate, fileList)

    With EmailTemplates_DropDownList
        .DataSource = fileList.Reverse.Take(5)
        .DataBind()
    End With

It is not particularly elegant but it does the job. I was hoping for a one liner LINQ solution and I just don’t have the background in LINQ to know how to do the job, time to go buy a book.

Answer 1

I’m not sure where you got this syntax from:

OrderBy(x >= x.CreationTime)

That almost looks like the C# syntax of

OrderBy(x => x.CreationTime)

but I believe in VB you would use

OrderBy(Function(x) x.CreationTime)

That’s certainly what the example in Enumerable.OrderBy would suggest.

EDIT: At that point you’ll get a different error, as per Steve’s post… but he hasn’t corrected the syntax. I suspect you want:

Dim OrderedFiles() As FileInfo = new DirectoryInfo(FilePath).GetFiles(). 
                                        OrderBy(Function(x) x.CreationTime).
                                        ToArray()