Question

Is the Is VB.NET keyword the same as Object.ReferenceEquals?

Answer 1

Yes, it is, unless combined with a TypeOf check.

Quote from MSDN:

The Is operator determines if two
object references refer to the same
object. However, it does not perform
value comparisons. If object1 and
object2 both refer to the exact same
object instance, result is True; if
they do not, result is False.

Is can also be used with the TypeOf
keyword to make a TypeOf…Is
expression, which tests whether an
object variable is compatible with a
data type.

BTW, also note the IsNot operator (which gives the boolean inverse of the matching Is expression):

IsNot is the opposite of the Is
operator. The advantage of IsNot is
that you can avoid awkward syntax with
Not and Is, which can be difficult to
read.