How to Compare two objects in unit test?

Question

public class Student
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int ID { get; set; }
}

...

var st1 = new Student
{
    ID =          


        

Answer 1

If comparing public members is enough for your use-case, simply jam your objects into JSON and compare the resulting strings:

var js = new JavaScriptSerializer();
Assert.AreEqual(js.Serialize(st1), js.Serialize(st2));

JavaScriptSerializer Class

Pros

• Requires minimal code, zero effort, and no preliminary setup
• Handles complex structures with nested objects
• Does not pollute your types with unit test-specific code, like Equals

Cons

• Only serializable, public members are considered (no need to annotate your members, though)
• Does not handle circular references