Converting a LINQ result to 2D string array

Question

I have a LINQ query that selects a list of teamIDs and team names to populate a drop down list. The query looks like this:

var teams = db.Teams.Where(t => t.isActive)
                    .Select(t => new {t.TeamID, t.TeamName});

However, I want the result set to be in the form of a 2D string array, since that's what my function that populates DDLs requires. I know I can use a for loop and build the array, but I'd prefer it, if possible to do it all in one step.

Is there something similar to this?

string[][] teams = db.Teams.Where(t => t.isActive)
                           .Select(t => new {t.TeamID, t.TeamName})
                           .To2DArray();

Craig Gidney · Accepted Answer · 2013-07-23 18:38:48Z

4

Note that string[][] is not a multi-dimensional array, it's an array of arrays. Multidimensional arrays look like string[,], and have different semantics (i.e. an array of arrays may have subarrays of differing lengths, but all rows/columns in a multidimensional array have the same length).

Since you're just dealing with arrays of arrays, the easiest solution is probably using ToArray on a sequence of items which are themselves created with ToArray.

The following code assumes that db.Teams is also an array of arrays:

var teams =
    db.Teams
    .Select(teamArray =>
        teamArray
        .Where(t => t.isActive)
        .Select(t => new {t.TeamID, t.TeamName})
        .ToArray())
    .ToArray();

edited Jul 23, 2013 at 18:38

answered Jul 23, 2013 at 18:32

Craig Gidney

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1 Comment

JerKimball Over a year ago

Off topic and I know you already know this, true "multidimensional" arrays (string[,]) in .NET are an abomination: slower to access, hard as hell to write generic methods to operate on (for an arbitrary # of dimensions at least), and under all sorts of one-off-ish arcane rules.

It'sNotALie. · Accepted Answer · 2013-07-23 18:18:39Z

3

Kind of:

string[][] teams = db.Teams.Where(t => t.isActive).Select(t => new[] {t.TeamID, t.TeamName}).ToArray();

answered Jul 23, 2013 at 18:18

It'sNotALie.

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3 Comments

Craig Gidney Over a year ago

You confused the anonymous object syntax, new { a,b,c=c } with the array initializer syntax new[] {a,b,c}.

Craig Gidney Over a year ago

Other direction. The question is making an anonymous type, but I think you read it as making an array.

It'sNotALie. Over a year ago

@Strilanc Oh, that's my fix!

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