C Sharp Multidimensional Arrays

C# Multidimensional Arrays

Also known as rectangular arrays, a multi-dimensional array in C# can be either a two-dimensional array or a three-dimensional array. The data in a multi-dimensional array is stored in a tabular form, i.e, in the form of row * column, thus forming a matrix of elements. The comma is used inside the square brackets to create a multidimensional array.

Syntax Example:

int[,] a =new int[4,4]; //declaration of 2D array
int[,,] a =new int[4,4,4]; //declaration of 3D array

Example:

using System;  
public class Example  
{  
    public static void Main(string[] args)  
    {  
        int[,] a=new int[5,5]; //declaration of 2D array  
        a[0,0]=1;//initialization of array
        a[1,1]=1;  
        a[2,2]=1;  
        a[3,3]=1;  
        a[4,4]=1;  
 
        //traversal of array 
        for(int i=0;i<5;i++){  
            for(int j=0;j<5;j++){  
                Console.Write(a[i,j]+" ");  
            }  
            Console.WriteLine();
        }  
    }  
}

Output:

Explanation:

In the above example, we are declaring, initializing and traversing a two-dimensional array.

Declaration and initialization at the same time:

We can initialize a multidimensional array while declaration in C# using 3 ways.

Example: 1st way.

int[,] a = new int[3,3]= { { 10, 20, 30 }, { 40, 50, 60 }, { 70, 80, 90 } };

The array size can be omitted.

Example: 2nd way.

int[,] a = new int[,]{ { 10, 20, 30 }, { 40, 50, 60 }, { 70, 80, 90 } };

The new operator can also be omitted.

Example: 3rd way.

int[,] a = { { 10, 20, 30 }, { 40, 50, 60 }, { 70, 80, 90 } };

Example:

using System;  
public class Example  
{  
    public static void Main(string[] args)  
    {    //declaration and initialization of array 
         int[,] a = { { 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 }, { 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 }, { 70, 80, 90, 10, 20 } };
 
        //traversal of array 
        for(int i=0;i<3;i++){  
            for(int j=0;j<5;j++){  
                Console.Write(a[i,j]+" ");  
            }  
            Console.WriteLine();
        }  
    }  
}

Output:

Explanation:

In the above example, we are creating a multidimensional array and initializing it at the time of declaration.