C# 7.0 All-in-One For Dummies

Chapter 6

Lining Up Your Ducks with Collections

IN THIS CHAPTER

Creating variables that contain multiple items of data: Arrays

Going arrays one better with flexible “collections”

Looking at array and collection initializers and set-type collections

Simple one-value variables of the sort you may encounter in this book fall a bit short in dealing with lots of items of the same kind: ten ducks instead of just one, for example. C# fills the gap with two kinds of variables that store multiple items, generally called collections. The two species of collection are the array and the more general-purpose collection class.

This book specifically uses the term array when discussing arrays. When working with the collection class, the book uses the term collection class. If the book refers to a collection or a list, the object in question can be either an array or a collection class.

An array is a data type that holds a list of objects of the same type. You can’t create a single array that contains both int and double objects, for example. Every object must be of the same type.

C# gives you quite ...