Unit-1: Introduction to .NET Framework and C#.

NET

Types
Value Data Type
The value data types are integer-based and floating-point based. C# language supports both
signed and unsigned literals.

There are 2 types of value data type in C# language.

1) Predefined Data Types - such as Integer, Boolean, Float, etc.

2) User defined Data Types - such as Structure, Enumerations, etc.

C# Structs
In C#, classes and structs are blueprints that are used to create instance of a class. Structs are used
for lightweight objects such as Color, Rectangle, Point etc.

Unlike class, structs in C# are value type than reference type. It is useful if you have data that is
not intended to be modified after creation of struct.

Example

Let's see a simple example of struct Rectangle which has two data members width and height.

using System;  
public struct Rectangle  
{  
    public int width, height;  
  
 }  
public class TestStructs  
{  
    public static void Main()  
    {  
        Rectangle r = new Rectangle();  
        r.width = 4;  
        r.height = 5;  
        Console.WriteLine("Area of Rectangle is: " + (r.width * r.height));  
    }  
}  

Output:

Area of Rectangle is: 20

C# Enum
Enum in C# is also known as enumeration. It is used to store a set of named constants such as
season, days, month, size etc. The enum constants are also known as enumerators. Enum in C#
can be declared within or outside class and structs.

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Enum constants has default values which starts from 0 and incremented to one by one. But we
can change the default value.

Points to remember
o enum has fixed set of constants
o enum improves type safety
o enum can be traversed

Example
using System;  
public class EnumExample  
{  
    public enum Season { WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, FALL }    
  
    public static void Main()  
    {  
        int x = (int)Season.WINTER;  
        int y = (int)Season.SUMMER;  
        Console.WriteLine("WINTER = {0}", x);  
        Console.WriteLine("SUMMER = {0}", y);  
    }  
}  

Output:

WINTER = 0
SUMMER = 2

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C# Arrays
Like other programming languages, array in C# is a group of similar types of elements that have
contiguous memory location. In C#, array is an object of base type System.Array. In C#, array
index starts from 0. We can store only fixed set of elements in C# array.

Advantages of C# Array
o Code Optimization (less code)
o Random Access
o Easy to traverse data
o Easy to manipulate data
o Easy to sort data etc.

Disadvantages of C# Array
o Fixed size

C# Array Types

There are 3 types of arrays in C# programming:

1. Single Dimensional Array

2. Multidimensional Array
3. Jagged Array

Single Dimensional Array

To create single dimensional array, you need to use square brackets [] after the type.

int[] arr = new int[5];//creating array  

You cannot place square brackets after the identifier.

int arr[] = new int[5];//compile time error  

Let's see a simple example of C# array, where we are going to declare, initialize and
traverse array.

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using System;  
public class ArrayExample  
{  
    public static void Main(string[] args)  
    {  
        int[] arr = new int[5];//creating array  
        arr[0] = 10;//initializing array  
        arr[2] = 20;  
        arr[4] = 30;  
  
        //traversing array  
        for (int i = 0; i < arr.Length; i++)  
        {  
            Console.WriteLine(arr[i]);  
        }  
    }  
}  

Output:

10
0
20
0
30

Example: Declaration and Initialization at same time

There are 3 ways to initialize array at the time of declaration.

int[] arr = new int[5]{ 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 };  

We can omit the size of array.

int[] arr = new int[]{ 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 };  

We can omit the new operator also.

int[] arr = { 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 }; 

Let's see the example of array where we are declaring and initializing array at the same time.

using System;  
public class ArrayExample  
{  
    public static void Main(string[] args)  
    {  

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        int[] arr = { 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 };//Declaration and Initializatio
n of array  
   
        //traversing array  
        for (int i = 0; i < arr.Length; i++)  
        {  
            Console.WriteLine(arr[i]);  
        }  
    }  
}  

Output:

10
20
30
40
50

Example: Traversal using foreach loop

We can also traverse the array elements using foreach loop. It returns array element one by one.

using System;  
public class ArrayExample  
{  
    public static void Main(string[] args)  
    {  
        int[] arr = { 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 };//creating and initializing arr
ay  
   
        //traversing array  
        foreach (int i in arr)  
        {  
            Console.WriteLine(i);  
        }  
    }  
}  

Output:

10
20
30
40
50

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Multidimensional Arrays

The multidimensional array is also known as rectangular arrays in C#. It can be two dimensional
or three dimensional. The data is stored in tabular form (row * column) which is also known as
matrix.

To create multidimensional array, we need to use comma inside the square brackets. For
example:

int[,] arr=new int[3,3];//declaration of 2D array  
int[,,] arr=new int[3,3,3];//declaration of 3D array  

Example

Let's see a simple example of multidimensional array in C# which declares, initializes and
traverse two-dimensional array.

using System;  
public class MultiArrayExample  
{  
    public static void Main(string[] args)  
    {  
        int[,] arr=new int[3,3];//declaration of 2D array  
        arr[0,1]=10;//initialization  
        arr[1,2]=20;  
        arr[2,0]=30;  
  
        //traversal  
        for(int i=0;i<3;i++){  
            for(int j=0;j<3;j++){  
                Console.Write(arr[i,j]+" ");  
            }  
            Console.WriteLine();//new line at each row  
        }  
    }  
}  

Output:

0 10 0
0 0 20
30 0 0

Example: Declaration and initialization at same time

There are 3 ways to initialize multidimensional array in C# while declaration.

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

We can omit the array size.

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

We can omit the new operator also.

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

Let's see a simple example of multidimensional array which initializes array at the time of declaration.

using System;  
public class MultiArrayExample  
{  
    public static void Main(string[] args)  
    {  
        int[,] arr = { { 1, 2, 3 }, { 4, 5, 6 }, { 7, 8, 9 } };//
declaration and initialization  
  
        //traversal  
        for(int i=0;i<3;i++){  
            for(int j=0;j<3;j++){  
                Console.Write(arr[i,j]+" ");  
            }  
            Console.WriteLine();//new line at each row  
        }  
    }  
}  

Output:

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Jagged Arrays

In C#, jagged array is also known as "array of arrays" because its elements are arrays. The
element size of jagged array can be different.

Declaration of Jagged array

Let's see an example to declare jagged array that has two elements .

int[][] arr = new int[2][];

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Initialization of Jagged array

Let's see an example to initialize jagged array. The size of elements can be different.

arr[0] = new int[4];  
arr[1] = new int[6];  

Initialization and filling elements in Jagged array

Let's see an example to initialize and fill elements in jagged array.

arr[0] = new int[4] { 11, 21, 56, 78 };         
arr[1] = new int[6] { 42, 61, 37, 41, 59, 63 };  

Here, size of elements in jagged array is optional. So, you can write above code as given
below:

arr[0] = new int[] { 11, 21, 56, 78 };         
arr[1] = new int[] { 42, 61, 37, 41, 59, 63 };  

Example

Let's see a simple example of jagged array in C# which declares, initializes and traverse jagged
arrays.

public class JaggedArrayTest  
{  
    public static void Main()  
    {  
        int[][] arr = new int[2][];// Declare the array  
  
        arr[0] = new int[] { 11, 21, 56, 78 };// Initialize the array      
    
        arr[1] = new int[] { 42, 61, 37, 41, 59, 63 };  
  
        // Traverse array elements  
        for (int i = 0; i < arr.Length; i++)  
        {  
            for (int j = 0; j < arr[i].Length; j++)  
            {  
                System.Console.Write(arr[i][j]+" ");  
            }  
            System.Console.WriteLine();  
        }  

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    }  
}  

Output:

11 21 56 78
42 61 37 41 59 63

Initialization of Jagged array upon Declaration

Let's see an example to initialize the jagged array while declaration.

int[][] arr = new int[3][]{  
        new int[] { 11, 21, 56, 78 },  
        new int[] { 2, 5, 6, 7, 98, 5 },  
        new int[] { 2, 5 }  
        };  

Example

public class JaggedArrayTest  
{  
    public static void Main()  
    {  
        int[][] arr = new int[3][]{  
        new int[] { 11, 21, 56, 78 },  
        new int[] { 2, 5, 6, 7, 98, 5 },  
        new int[] { 2, 5 }  
        };  
  
        // Traverse array elements  
        for (int i = 0; i < arr.Length; i++)  
        {  
            for (int j = 0; j < arr[i].Length; j++)  
            {  
                System.Console.Write(arr[i][j]+" ");  
            }  
            System.Console.WriteLine();  
        }  
    }  
}  

Output:

11 21 56 78

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2 5 6 7 98 5
2 5

C# dynamic array

C# supports both static and dynamic arrays. If you're new to arrays, check out Working
With Arrays in C#.

A static array has a fixed size and defined when an array is declared. The following code
defines an array that can hold 5 int type data only.

1. int[] odds = new int[5]; 

Arrays in C# are 0th index. That means the first item of an array starts at the 0th
position. The position of the last item on an array will total number of items - 1. So, if an
array has 5 items, the last item of the array is access by using index 4.

The following code adds 5 items to the array. 

1. odds[0] = 1;  
2. odds[1] = 3;  
3. odds[2] = 5;  
4. odds[3] = 7;  
5. odds[4] = 9;  

In a fixed array, if you try to add more items than its range, you will get the following
error: 

1. odds[5] = 11;  

Unhandled exception. System.IndexOutOfRangeException: Index was outside the bounds of

the array. 

at Program.Main(String[] args) in C:\Mahesh\DotNetCore\ArraysFAQ\ArraysFAQ\

Program.cs:line 14

A dynamic array does not have a predefined size. The size of a dynamic array increases
as you add new items to the array. You can declare an array of fixed length or dynamic.

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You can even change a dynamic array to static after it is defined. The following code
snippet declares a dynamic array where the size of the array is not provided. 

1. int[] numArray = new int[] {};  

Dynamic arrays can be initialized as static arrays. The following code snippet declares a
dynamic array and initializes. 

1. int[] numArray = new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 }; 

The following code sample declares 3 dynamic arrays of different data types. 

1. // Dynamic array of int type  
2. int[] numArray = new int[] {1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 };  
3. // Dynamic array of string type  
4. string[] strArray = new string[] { "Mahesh Chand",  
5. "David McCarter", "Allen O'neill", "Chris Love" };  
6. // Dynamic array of a collection  
7. List<string> authors = new List<string>();  
8. authors.Add("Mahesh Chand");  
9. authors.Add("David McCarter");  
10. authors.Add("Allen O'neill");  
11. authors.Add("Chris Love"); 

Accessing C# dynamic arrays

We can access both dynamic arrays or static arrays same way by passing the item index
in the array. 

1. // Dynamic array of int type  
2. int[] numArray = new int[] {1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 };  
3. Console.WriteLine(numArray[0]);  
4. Console.WriteLine(numArray[1]);  
5. Console.WriteLine(numArray[2]);  
6. Console.WriteLine(numArray[3]);  
7. Console.WriteLine(numArray[4]);  
8. Console.WriteLine(numArray[5]);  

A foreach loop can be used to iterate through the elements of an array. 

1. // Dynamic array of string type  
2. string[] strArray = new string[] { "Mahesh Chand",  
3. "David McCarter", "Allen O'neill", "Chris Love" };  

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4. foreach (string str in strArray)  
5. Console.WriteLine(str); 

When to use dynamic arrays

Unless you limit an array size, the default arrays are dynamic arrays. Dynamic arrays are
used when you’re not sure about the number of elements an array can store. Static
arrays should be used when you do not want an array to hold more items that its
predefined size.

ArrayList collection

The ArrayList class is often used to work with a collection of objects. It is a dynamic
collection and provides built-in methods to work with list items such as add items,
remove items, copy, clone, search, and sort array.

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