IEquityComparer to '=' overloader - vb.net

Question

My question is for my general understanding, it is not a problem, following are demo classes from my project:
Public Class Registration
Inherits HumanBase
Private _NameeValue As HumanName
Property Namee As HumanName
Get
Return _NameeValue
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As HumanName)
If Not _NameeValue = Value Then
_NameeValue = Value
OnPropertyChanged("Namee")
End If
End Set
End Property
Private _UserPasswordValue As String
Public Property UserPassword() As String
Get
Return _UserPasswordValue
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
If Not _UserPasswordValue.Equals(value) Then
_UserPasswordValue = value
OnPropertyChanged("UserPassword")
End If
End Set
End Property
Private _UserEmailValue As String
Public Property UserEmail() As String
Get
Return _UserEmailValue
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
If Not _UserEmailValue = value Then
_UserEmailValue = value
OnPropertyChanged("UserEmail")
End If
End Set
End Property
Property UserPassword2 As String
End Class
Public Class HumanName
Inherits HumanBase
Implements IComparable(Of HumanName)
Implements IEqualityComparer(Of HumanName)
#Region "Private Variables"
Private _TitleNameValue As CommonTypes.TitleName
Private _FirstNameValue As String
Private _MiddleNameValue As String
Private _LastNameValue As String
Private _SuffixNameValue As CommonTypes.Suffixname
#End Region
#Region "Property Variables"
Property TitleName As CommonTypes.TitleName
Get
Return _TitleNameValue
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As CommonTypes.TitleName)
If Not _TitleNameValue = Value Then
_TitleNameValue = Value
OnPropertyChanged("TitleName")
End If
End Set
End Property
Property FirstName As String
Get
Return _FirstNameValue
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As String)
If Not _FirstNameValue = Value Then
_FirstNameValue = Value
OnPropertyChanged("FirstName")
End If
End Set
End Property
Property MiddleName As String
Get
Return _MiddleNameValue
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As String)
If Not _MiddleNameValue = Value Then
_MiddleNameValue = Value
OnPropertyChanged("MiddleName")
End If
End Set
End Property
Property LastName As String
Get
Return _LastNameValue
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As String)
If Not _LastNameValue = Value Then
_LastNameValue = Value
OnPropertyChanged("LastName")
End If
End Set
End Property
Property SuffixName As CommonTypes.Suffixname
Get
Return _SuffixNameValue
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As CommonTypes.Suffixname)
If Not _SuffixNameValue = Value Then
_SuffixNameValue = Value
OnPropertyChanged("SuffixName")
End If
End Set
End Property
#End Region
Public Function CompareTo(ByVal other As HumanName) As Integer Implements System.IComparable(Of HumanName).CompareTo
Return True
End Function
Public Function Equals1(ByVal x As HumanName, ByVal y As HumanName) As Boolean Implements System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer(Of HumanName).Equals
Return True
End Function
Public Function GetHashCode1(ByVal obj As HumanName) As Integer Implements System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer(Of HumanName).GetHashCode
Return True
End Function
End Class
The code errors out at coding time itself at "If Not _NameeValue = Value Then" and the error is Error Operator '=' is not defined for types 'SharesCommCodeLib.Human.HumanName' and 'SharesCommCodeLib.Human.HumanName'.
Could you please tell me why '=" is not working when I implemented both ICOMPAREABLE and IEquitableComparer. Would DotNet does not consider it for Operator Overloading.
Thank you.

Answer 1

i strongly recommend to set OPTION STRICT to ON, your code wouldn't even compile when you try to return a Boolean from a method which signature defines an Integer as return type. That helps to avoid errors
The IEqualityComparer Interface is used to define your own definition of equality and can be used wherever this interface is used to specify equality, for example in the constructors of Hashtable, NameValueCollection or OrderedDictionary
If you want to use the = operator on custom types you need to overload it:
Public Shared Operator =(ByVal humanName1 As HumanName, ByVal humanName2 As HumanName) As Boolean
Return humanName1._FirstNameValue.Equals(humanName2._FirstNameValue) AndAlso _
humanName1._MiddleNameValue.Equals(humanName2._MiddleNameValue) AndAlso _
humanName1._LastNameValue.Equals(humanName2._LastNameValue)
End Operator
Public Shared Operator <>(ByVal humanName1 As HumanName, ByVal humanName2 As HumanName) As Boolean
Return Not humanName1 = humanName2
End Operator