C# Array

Declaration:

You can declare an array in C# using the following syntax:

dataType[] arrayName;

Here, dataType specifies the type of elements the array will hold, and arrayName is the name of the array variable. For example:

int[] numbers; // declares an array of integers
string[] names; // declares an array of strings

Initialization:

After declaring an array, you need to initialize it before using it. There are several ways to initialize an array in C#:

1. Syntax:

dataType[] arrayName = new dataType[] { value1, value2, ..., valueN };

2. Initialization:

int[] numbers = new int[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 };
string[] names = new string[] { "Ayan", "Suman", "Sanvi" };

Dimensions:

C# supports multidimensional arrays, allowing you to create arrays with multiple dimensions (e.g., 2D, 3D, etc.). You can declare and initialize multidimensional arrays using the following syntax:

dataType[,] arrayName = new dataType[rowSize, columnSize];

In Programming:

int[,] matrix = new int[3, 3]; // 3x3 2D array

You can access elements of a multidimensional array using indices too. For example:

matrix[0, 0] = 1;
matrix[0, 1] = 2;
// and so on...

• Learn how matrix algorithms work with programming examples.

Jagged:

Jagged arrays are arrays of arrays. Each element of a jagged array can be an array itself. Jagged arrays can have varying lengths for each row. You can declare and initialize jagged arrays as follows:

dataType[][] jaggedArrayName = new dataType[rowSize][];

In Programming:

int[][] jaggedMatrix = new int[3][];
jaggedMatrix[0] = new int[] { 1, 2 };
jaggedMatrix[1] = new int[] { 3, 4, 5 };
jaggedMatrix[2] = new int[] { 6, 7, 8, 9 };

⤏ Jagged arrays are useful when you need to represent irregular data structures.

• Here's a simple C# program that demonstrates the declaration, initialization, and usage of arrays:

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // 1. One-dimensional array example
        int[] numbers = { 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 };

        Console.WriteLine("One-dimensional array:");
        foreach (int num in numbers)
        {
            Console.Write(num + " ");
        }
        Console.WriteLine();

        // 2. Multidimensional array example
        int[,] matrix = new int[3, 3] { { 1, 2, 3 }, { 4, 5, 6 }, { 7, 8, 9 } };

        Console.WriteLine("\nMultidimensional array:");
        for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
        {
            for (int j = 0; j < 3; j++)
            {
                Console.Write(matrix[i, j] + " ");
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
        }

        // 3. Jagged array example
        int[][] jaggedMatrix = [[1, 2], [3, 4, 5], [6, 7, 8, 9]];
        Console.WriteLine("\nJagged array:");
        foreach (int[] row in jaggedMatrix)
        {
            foreach (int num in row)
            {
                Console.Write(num + " ");
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
    }
}

One-dimensional array:
10 20 30 40 50

Multidimensional array:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Jagged array:
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8 9

Conclusion:

Understanding array in C# is fundamental for handling collections of data efficiently. Whether you're working with one-dimensional arrays, multidimensional arrays, or jagged arrays, mastering these concepts will greatly enhance your ability to work with collections of data.