I am creating an array of arrays such that:
var arrNewArray = new string[arrOldArray.Length][7];
arrOldArray is an array of arrays such that it's [X][4], meaning the length of the 1st array or "outside" array can change, but the length of the "inside" array is ALWAYS 4, or hold 4 strings ([0][1][2][3]).
Why won't the compiler accept my statement above?
Essentially, I'm trying to take arrOldArray and expand it, or add a few more "columns" by increasing the [4] in the old array to a [7] in the new array and then copy the contents over. Perhaps I'm not doing it the best/efficient way, so any guidance would be appreciated thanks.
I think you want a two dimensional array:
var arrNewArray = new string[arrOldArray.Length, 7];
You would access it like this: arrNewArray[x, y].
This is better than a jagged array, because it clearly communicates that the number of "columns" is the same for every row.
If you want to continue using a jagged array, you need to do it like this:
var arrNewArray = new string[arrOldArray.Length][];
for(int i = 0; i < arrOldArray.Length; ++i)
arrNewArray[i] = new string[7];
The reason for this convoluted way is: With a jagged array, each "row" can have a different number of "columns". A short-hand syntax for the case where each "row" has the same number of "columns" doesn't exist. That's why your code doesn't compile.
A jagged array is essential an array of arrays, so you need to create a new array instance for each "row" of the outer array and explicitly assign it. That's what the for loop is doing.
You can't use Array.Copy with jagged arrays. Each child-array is it's own instance and Array.Copy doesn't make a deep copy, it merely copies the references from one array to another. The effect would be, that both arrays would point to the same items and changing an item in one array would be seen from the other.
You are not creating the jagged array properly. The proper way is to create the first dimension of the jagged array and then loop through the items of the first dimension to create the nested arrays and copy the data from the old arrays. Here's an example:
int newSize = 7;
string[][] newArray = new string[oldArray.Length][];
for (int i = 0; i < oldArray.Length; i++)
{
newArray[i] = new string[newSize];
Array.Copy(oldArray[i], newArray[i], oldArray[i].Length);
}
You would be wanting
var arrNewArray = new string[arrOldArray.Length, 7];
var arrNewArray = new[] {new string[7]};//array of arrays
var arrNewArray = new string[arrOldArray.Length, 7];//two-dimensional array
Using Linq:
int[][] jaggedArray2 = new int[][]
{
new int[] {1,3,5,7,9},
new int[] {0,2,4,6},
new int[] {11,22}
};
int length = jaggedArray.Sum(a => a.Length);
I don't believe what you're asking is directly possible. Because the syntax that you are using is for a jagged array, and what you are doing is effectively asking it to create a multi-dimensional array.
The syntax is confusing since it reads like what you really want is a multi-dimensional array (although I'm aware that's not the case.)
I don't believe you could store your arrays in the newly allocated array either due to a size change. You would need to build a custom copy method to move the data into the larger array.
Related
I'm learning c#, with my primary language before now being php. I was wondering how (or if) you could create an empty array in c#.
In php, you can create an array, and then add any number of entries to it.
$multiples=array();
$multiples[] = 1;
$multiples[] = 2;
$multiples[] = 3;
In c#, I'm having trouble doing something similar:
int[] arraynums = new int[];
arraynums[] = 1;
arraynums[] = 2;
arraynums[] = 3;
Which gives the error "array creation must have array size or array initializer." If I don't know how many entries I want to make, how do I do this? Is there a way around this?
If you don't know the size in advance, use a List<T> instead of an array. An array, in C#, is a fixed size, and you must specify the size when creating it.
var arrayNums = new List<int>();
arrayNums.Add(1);
arrayNums.Add(2);
Once you've added items, you can extract them by index, just like you would with an array:
int secondNumber = arrayNums[1];
c# arrays have a static size.
int[] arraynums = new int[3];
or
int[] arraynums = {1, 2, 3}
if you want to use dynamic sized array, you should use ArrayList, or List.
I would recommend using a different collection such as a List<T> or a Dictionary<TKey, TValue>. Calling the collection in PHP an array is just a misnomer. An array is a continuous fixed size block of memory that contains only a single type and offers direct access by calculating the offset for a given index. The data type in PHP does none of these things.
Examples;
List<int> my_ints = new List<int>();
my_ints.Add(500);
Dictionary<string, int> ids = new Dictionary<string, int>();
ids.Add("Evan", 1);
int evansId = ids["Evan"];
Examples of when to use an array;
string[] lines = File.ReadAllLines(myPath);
for (int i = 0; i < lines.Length; i++)
// i perform better than other collections here!
Newer way, since .NET 4.6 / Core 1.0, in case somebody hits this:
System.Array.Empty<T>() method.
This is more efficient if called multiple times, as it's backed by a single static readonly array generated at compile time.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.array.empty
https://referencesource.microsoft.com/#mscorlib/system/array.cs,3079
Try this post: Dynamic array in C#. It has a couple of links in the first answer that show alternate ways of indexing data. In C#, there is no way of making dynamic arrays but those links show some workarounds.
Is it possible, in C#, to convert a multi-dimensional array into a 1D array without having to copy all the elements from one to the other, something like:
int[,] x = new int[3,4];
int[] y = (int[])x;
This would allow the use of x as if it were a 12-element 1D array (and to return it from a function as such), but the compiler does not allow this conversion.
As far as I'm aware, a 2D array (or higher number of dimensions) is laid out in contiguous memory, so it doesn't seem impossible that it could work somehow. Using unsafe and fixed can allow access through a pointer, but this doesn't help with returning the array as 1D.
While I believe I can just use a 1D array throughout in the case I'm working on at present, it would be useful if this function was part of an adapter between something which returns a multidimensional array and something else which requires a 1D one.
You can't, it's not possible in C# to convert array's this way. You maybe could do it by using a external dll ( C/C++ ), but then you need to keep your array at a fixed location.
Speed
Generally i would advice to avoid using a 2D array because theese are slow in C#, better use jagged-array or even better single dimensionals with a little bit of math.
Int32[] myArray = new Int32[xSize * ySize];
// Access
myArray[x + (y * xSize)] = 5;
In C#, arrays cannot be resized dynamically. One approach is to use System.Collections.ArrayList instead of a native array. Another (faster) solution is to re-allocate the array with a different size and to copy the contents of the old array to the new array. The generic function resizeArray (below) can be used to do that.
One example here :
// Reallocates an array with a new size, and copies the contents
// of the old array to the new array.
// Arguments:
// oldArray the old array, to be reallocated.
// newSize the new array size.
// Returns A new array with the same contents.
public static System.Array ResizeArray (System.Array oldArray, int newSize) {
int oldSize = oldArray.Length;
System.Type elementType = oldArray.GetType().GetElementType();
System.Array newArray = System.Array.CreateInstance(elementType,newSize);
int preserveLength = System.Math.Min(oldSize,newSize);
if (preserveLength > 0)
System.Array.Copy (oldArray,newArray,preserveLength);
return newArray; }
You can already iterate over a multidim as if it were a 1 dimensional array:
int[,] data = { { 1, 2, 3 }, { 3, 4, 5 } };
foreach (int i in data)
... // i := 1 .. 5
And you could wrap a 1-dim array in a class and provide an indexer property this[int x1, int x2].
But everything else will require unsafe code or copying. Both will be inefficient.
Riding on the back of Felix K.'s answer and quoting a fellow developer:
You can't convert a square to a line without losing information
try
int[,] x = {{1, 2}, {2, 2}};
int[] y = new int[4];
System.Buffer.BlockCopy(x, 0, y, 0, 4);
You cannot cast, you'll have to copy the elements:
int[] y = (from int i in y select i).ToArray();
I've created a multidimensional array and want to set the entire inner array equal to a separate (single dimensional) array. How can I do this, besides going through each position in the arrays and setting grid[row][val] = inputNums[val]?
int[,] grid = new int[20,20];
// read a row of space-deliminated integers, split it into its components
// then add it to my grid
string rowInput = "";
for (int row = 0; (rowInput = problemInput.ReadLine()) != null; row++) {
int[] inputNums = Array.ConvertAll(rowInput.Split(' '), (value) => Convert.ToInt32(value))
grid.SetValue(inputNums , row); // THIS LINE DOESN'T WORK
}
The specific error I'm getting is:
"Arguement Exception Handled: Array was not a one-dimensional array."
You are mixing "jagged" arrays (arrays of arrays) with multidimensional arrays. What you want to use is probably jagged arrays (because no one in his right mind would want to use md arrays :-) )
int[][] grid = new int[20][];
// ...
grid[row] = inputNums;
// access it with
grid[row][col] = ...
// columns of a row:
var cols = grid[row].Length;
// number of rows:
var rows = grid.Length;
A md array is a single monolithical "object" with many cells. Arrays of arrays are instead many objects: for a 2d jagged array, one object is for the row "structure" (the external container) and one is for each "row". So in the end with a jagged array you must do a single new int[20, 20], with a jagged array you must do a new int[20][] that will create 20 rows and 20 myArray[x] = new int[20] (with x = 0...19) one for each row. Ah... I was forgetting: a jagged array can be "jagged": each "row" can have a different number of "columns". (everything I told you is valid even for 3d and *d arrays :-) You only have to scale it up)
This question already has answers here:
Differences between a multidimensional array "[,]" and an array of arrays "[][]" in C#?
(12 answers)
Closed 1 year ago.
What is the difference between:
int [][] myArray;
and
int [,] myOtherArray;
The first is a jagged array: an array where each item in the array is another array
int[][] jaggedArray = new int[3][];
jaggedArray[0] = new int[5];
jaggedArray[1] = new int[4];
jaggedArray[2] = new int[2];
The second is a multidimensional array, aka a matrix.
int[,] array = new int[4, 2]; // create a 4 by 2 matrix
myArray is a jagged array, or an array of arrays. Each element of myArray is itself an int[].
myOtherArray is a rectangular (or multidimensional) array - a single object containing all the data directly.
Which you should use really depends on the situation. Sometimes it can be handy to have an array for each "row" of data (with the ability to replace whole rows, and have rows with different lengths), whereas at other times it makes sense to force a uniform layout.
I found the best way to understand it was to see a graphical representation of it =)
int[][] jagged = new int[3][];
jagged[0] = new int[1];
jagged[1] = new int[2];
jagged[2] = new int[4];
will look like this
[0] - [0]
[1] - [0][1]
[2] - [0][1][2][3]
while a two+ dimensional
int[,] twodimensional = new int[3,4]
will look like this
[0,0][0,1][0,2][0,3]
[1,0][1,1][1,2][1,3]
[2,0][2,1][2,2][2,3]
The first is a jagged array, the other multi-dimensional - the difference is that the elements of a jagged array can be of different dimensions and sizes.
Jagged array:
int [][] myArray;
Rectangular array:
int [,] myOtherArray;
Quote Comparing Rectangular and Jagged Arrays :
The structure of rectangular and
jagged arrays is significantly
different.
One-dimensional arrays have specific
instructions in the CIL that allow
them to be optimized for performance.
Rectangular arrays do not have these
instructions, and are not optimized to
the same level. Because of this, it
can sometimes be more efficient to use
jagged arrays of one-dimensional
arrays—which can be optimized—than
rectangular arrays, which cannot. On
the other hand, the programming
complexity can be less for a
rectangular array because it can be
treated as a single unit, rather than
an array of arrays.
This has to be a duplicate. One is a jagged array, one is a two-dimensional array. You should be able to take it from there.
Both statements declare uninitialized multi-dimensional arrays of ints. The first is a jagged array and the second is 2-dimensional.
You can initialize the 2-dimensional array at the same time as you declare it as follows:
int[,] array4 = { { 1, 2 }, { 3, 4 }, { 5, 6 }, { 7, 8 } };
OR,
int[,] array = new int[4, 2];
Refer to the official documentation:
Hello i have a problem with c# Arrays. I need a array to store some data in there...
My Code is that
double[] ATmittelMin;
ATmittelMin[zaehlMittel] = Gradient(x, xATmax, y, yATmax);
But the compiler says: not defined var
How can i define a double array without a fixed size ?
Thanks a lot!
Arrays are always fixed in size, and have to be defined like so:
double[] items1 = new double[10];
// This means array is double[3] and cannot be changed without redefining it.
double[] items2 = {1.23, 4.56, 7.89};
The List<T> class uses an array in the background and redefines it when it runs out of space:
List<double> items = new List<double>();
items.Add(1.23);
items.Add(4.56);
items.Add(7.89);
// This will give you a double[3] array with the items of the list.
double[] itemsArray = items.ToArray();
You can iterate through a List<T> just as you would an array:
foreach (double item in items)
{
Console.WriteLine(item);
}
// Note that the property is 'Count' rather than 'Length'
for (int i = 0; i < items.Count; i++)
{
Console.WriteLine(items[i]);
}
From what I see you did not declare the zaehlMittel variable. I guess this is what the compiler complains about.
Apart from that, even though you can of course determine the value of that variable programmatically, the moment you want to create an array its size must be known. This is the way arrays work.
In case you cannot do that easily, I suggest using some sort of dynamic datastructure, like a list or a set. Then, once all elements have been added, you are of course still free to create an array from that, as by that time you know the number of elements (even though there are convenience methods like toArray() that will even take care of that).
You have to instanciate the array before using it:
double[] ATmittelMin = new double[10];
ATmittelMin[zaehlMittel] = Gradient(x, xATmax, y, yATmax);
The obvious solution that springs to mind is to use a List:
List<double> ATmittelMin = new List<double>();
ATmittelMin.Add(Gradient(x, xATMax, y, yATMax);
But if you don't want to convert from a list to an array you can grow the array later:
double[] ATmittelMin = new double[10];
// Some code
int index = some_value;
if (index >= TmittelMin.Length)
{
Array.Resize(ATmittelMin, index+5); // So we're not constantly resizing the array
}
It's not ideal as you're doing a lot of the work that List is doing behind the scenes - probably a lot more efficiently than you can.