Make a Class property both Default AND Shared - vb.net

Question

I have a class called "PartTypes" which contains a Shared List of "PartType" objects. I have an "Item" property inside the PartTypes class that retrieves a PartType in the shared list by name.
In my main code, I want to be able to say something like PartTypes("ItemX") rather than PartTypes.Item("ItemX"). However, I can't figure out how to make the shared "Item" Property also be the default Property for my class.
Here's a simplified and condensed version of what I want to do, using a list of String rather than a list of PartType:
Sub MainCode
'How I have to do it now:
oPartType = PartTypes.Item("Type1")
'How I'd like to do it:
oPartType = PartTypes("Type1")
End Sub
Class PartTypes
Private Shared _PartTypes As New List(Of String)
'Initialize global list of PartTypes:
Shared Sub New
_PartTypes.Add("Type1")
_PartTypes.Add("Type2")
End Sub
'Property I want to be the "default":
Public Shared ReadOnly Property Item(Name As String) As String
Get
If _PartTypes.Contains(Name) Then
Return Name
Else
Return ""
End If
End Get
End Property
End Class
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In case you're wondering why I would want to do it like this, here's an extended version that should give a better idea of how I'm actually using the PartTypes class (but you don't need to digest all of this unless you want to -- a solution that works for the simplified version above will probably work for the actual thing):
Function SetUpType(TestTypeName As String) As PartType
If PartTypes.IsType(TestTypeName) Then
Dim oPartType As PartType
'How I have to get the PartType object:
oPartType = PartTypes.Item(TestTypeName)
'How I'd like to get the PartType object:
'oPartType = PartTypes(TestTypeName)
'Set up oPartType:
'...
Return oPartType
Else
Return New PartType
End If
End Function
Class PartType
Public Name As String
Public [Class] As String
'Other properties of a PartType:
'...
End Class
Class PartTypes
Private Shared _PartTypes As New List(Of PartType)
'Initialize global list of PartTypes:
Shared Sub New
Add("Type1","ClassA")
Add("Type2","ClassA")
Add("Type3","ClassB")
Add("Type4","ClassC")
End Sub
Private Shared Function Add(Name As String, [Class] As String) As PartType
Dim oPartType As New PartType
oPartType.Name = Name
oPartType.Class = [Class]
_PartTypes.Add(oPartType)
Return oPartType
End Function
'Property I want to be the "default":
Public Shared ReadOnly Property Item(Name As String) As PartType
Get
For Each oPartType As PartType In _PartTypes
If oPartType.Name = Name Then Return oPartType
Next
'If Type not found...
Return New PartType
End Get
End Property
'Examples of other PartTypes functions:
Public Shared Function IsType([TypeName] As String) As Boolean
For Each oPartType As PartType In _PartTypes
If oPartType.Name = [TypeName] Then Return True
Next
'If Type not found...
Return False
End Function
End Class

Answer 1

You cannot have Shared default property on type itself - it must be an instance of that class. In order to make Item property default, add Default to the property:
Class PartTypes
Default Public ReadOnly Property Item(Name As String) As String
Get
'...
End Get
End Property
End Class
Usage:
Dim pt = New PartTypes()
Dim x = pt("Type1")