Video: Multidimensional Arrays in C# (Bulgarian)

Nikolay Kostov (Nikolay.IT)

Topics covered:

  • Matrices and Multidimensional Arrays
    • Declaring
    • Usage
  • Jagged Arrays
    • Declaring
    • Usage
  • The Array Class
    • Sorting
    • Binary Search

Video (in Bulgarian)

Presentation Content

What is Multidimensional Array?

  • Multidimensional arrays have more than one dimension (2, 3, …)
    • The most important multidimensional arrays are the 2-dimensional
      • Known as matrices or tables
  • Example of matrix of integers with 2 rows and 4 columns:
5 0 -2 4
5 6 7 8

Declaring and Creating Multidimensional Arrays

  • Declaring multidimensional arrays:
  • Creating a multidimensional array
    • Use new keyword
    • Must specify the size of each dimension

Initializing Multidimensional Arrays with Values

  • Creating and initializing with values multidimensional array:
    • Matrices are represented by a list of rows
      • Rows consist of list of values
    • The first dimension comes first, the second comes next (inside the first)

Jagged Arrays

  • Jagged arrays are like multidimensional arrays
    • But each dimension has different size
    • A jagged array is array of arrays
    • Each of the arrays hasdifferent length
  • How to create jagged array?

Initialization of Jagged Arrays

  • When creating jagged arrays
    • Initially the array is created of null arrays
    • Need to initialize each of them

Example of Jagged Arrays

  • Check a set of numbers and group them by their remainder when dividing to 3 (0, 1 and 2)
  • Example: 0, 1, 4, 113, 55, 3, 1, 2, 66, 557, 124, 2
  • First we need to count the numbers
    • Done with a iteration
  • Make jagged array withappropriate sizes
  • Each number is addedinto its jagged array

The Array Class

  • The System.Array class
    • Parent of all arrays
    • All arrays inherit from it
    • All arrays have the same:
      • Basic functionality
      • Basic properties
      • E.g. Length property

Methods of Array

  • Important methods and properties of System.Array
    • Rank – number of dimensions
    • Length – number of all elements through all dimensions
    • GetLength(index) – returns the number of elements in the specified dimension
      • Dimensions are numbered from 0

Methods of Array (2)

  • GetEnumerator() – returns IEnumerator for the array elements
  • BinarySearch (…) – searches for a given element into a sorted array (uses binary search)
  • IndexOf (…) – searches for a given element and returns the index of the first occurrence (if any)
  • LastIndexOf(…) – searches for a given element and returns the last occurrence index
  • Copy(src, dest, len) – copies array elements; has many overloads
  • Reverse (…) – inverts the arrays elements upside down
  • Clear (…) _ _ – assigns value 0 (null) for each elements
  • CreateInstance (…) _ _ – creates an array
    • Accepts as parameters the number of dimensions, start index and number of elements
  • Implements ICloneable , IList , ICollection and IEnumerable interfaces

Sorting Arrays

  • Sorting in .NET is usually done with System.Array.Sort()
    • Sort(Array) – sorts array elements
      • Elements should implement IComparable
    • Sort(Array, _ _ IComparer) – sorts array elements by given external IComparer
    • Sort(Array, _ _ Comparison<T>) – sorts array elements by given comparison operation
      • Can be used with lambda expression

Binary Search

  • Binary search is a fast method for searching for an element in a sorted array
    • Has guaranteed running time of O(log(n)) _ _ for searching among arrays of with n elements
  • Implemented in the Array.BinarySearch( Array, object) method
    • Returns the index of the found object or a negative number when not found
  • All requirements of the Sort() method are applicable for BinarySearch()
    • Either all elements should implement IComparable<T> or instance of IComparer<T> should be passed

Advices for Working with Arrays

  • When given method returns an array and should return an empty array (array with 0 elements) instead of null
  • Arrays are passed by reference
    • To be sure that given method will not change the passed array, pass a copy of it
  • Clone() returns shallow copy of the array
    • You should implement your own deep clone when working with reference types
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