---
title: "isEqual(_:)"
framework: cloudkit
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "cloudkit/ckshare/participant/isequal(_:)"
---

# isEqual(_:)

Compares two CKShareParticipant objects for person identity equality.

## Declaration

```swift
func isEqual(_ object: Any) -> Bool
```

## Parameters

- `object`: The object to compare against

## Return Value

Return Value YES if both participants represent the same person, NO otherwise

## Discussion

Discussion This implementation differs from typical NSObject isEqual: behavior. Standard isEqual: implementations compare all meaningful properties for structural equality. This method specifically compares identity to answer “Are these the same person?” rather than “Are these participant objects identical?” This method returns YES if both participants represent the same person, regardless of differences in role, acceptanceStatus, permission, or other properties, or if CloudKit determines these represent the same identity via other heuristics. The method returns YES if any of these identity conditions are met: participantID matches (direct participant identification) userIdentity.userRecordID matches (same CloudKit user) userIdentity.lookupInfo matches (same email, phone, or user record) Properties NOT compared (may differ between “equal” participants): role (owner, privateUser, publicUser) acceptanceStatus (invited, accepted, removed, etc.) permission (readOnly, readWrite, none) dateAddedToShare isApprovedRequester warning: Do not assume that participants returning YES from isEqual: have identical properties. Use explicit property comparisons when needed. Common use cases: Correct: Checking if person is already in share if ([existingParticipants containsObject:newParticipant]) {     // Person already exists in share (regardless of role/status) } Incorrect: Assuming structural equality if ([participant1 isEqual:participant2]) {     // DON'T assume participant1.role == participant2.role     // DON'T assume same acceptanceStatus or permissions } Correct: Explicit structural comparison when needed if ([participant1 isEqual:participant2] &&     participant1.role == participant2.role &&     participant1.acceptanceStatus == participant2.acceptanceStatus) {     // Now you have both identity AND structural equality }