c# - How can I get all nested items from a collection? -

i have collection of items. 1 item can have item, , item can have item. on.

i not know how many levels of nested items can have item. level of nested items can defined @ run-time.

class person {     person person;     public person(person _nestedperson)     {         person = _nestedperson;     }      public bool isselectedperson { get; set; }     public string name { get; set; } } 

and how items(person) can nested:

ilist<person> list = new list<person>();             (int startindex = 0; startindex < 5; startindex++) {    list.add(new person(new person(new person(new person(null) { name="bill",          isselectedperson=true})) { name = "jessy", isselectedperson = false })          { name = "bond", isselectedperson =true});//3 nested persons    list.add(new person(new person(null) { name = "kendell",          isselectedperson = true }) { name="rosy", isselectedperson=true});//2 nested persons    //the next time can 1 person without nested item(person). not know how many items(persons) nested    //list.add(new person(null) { name="rosy", isselectedperson=true}); } 

my goal take all objects(without duplicates) of persons(person) isselectedperson=true?

i've played select()

var ee = list.select(x=>x.isselectedfacet==true);//comparison should done here 

but not want, takes bool values.

update:

my expected result should have 1 object of person unique name. no matter how many there objects same name. take 1 object. sorry misleading. should this:

you can make helper method unwrap nested objects

    ienumerable<person> unwrapperson(person p)     {         list<person> list = new list<person>();         list.add(p);         if (p.person != null)             list.addrange(unwrapperson(p.person));          return list;     } 

or if person class has 1 nested object (person person;) can use yield construction instead of recursion

    static ienumerable<person> unwrapperson(person p)     {         yield return p;         while (p.person != null)         {             p = p.person;             yield return p;         }     } 

in order remove duplicate persons, example same name, should implement iequalitycomparer<person> , use distinct method.

class comparer : iequalitycomparer<person> {     public bool equals(person x, person y)     {         return string.equals(x.name, y.name);     }      public int gethashcode(person obj)     {         string name = obj.name;         int hash = 7;         (int = 0; < name.length; i++)         {             hash = hash * 31 + name[i];         }          return hash;     } } 

so final query should similar to:

 list.selectmany(p => unwrapperson(p))      .where(x => x.isselectedperson == true)      .distinct(new comparer())