Convert DataTable into object[ , ] array with LINQ

Question

I sincerely apologize if this has been asked before; maybe I am just blind and not finding it. Is it possible to convert a DataTable into an object[ , ] type array using LINQ? Using the following code I can convert it into object[][] but that's not what I need unfortunately:

object[][] tableEnumerable = dtReportData.AsEnumerable().Select(x => x.ItemArray).ToArray();

What I need is:

object [,] = ....?

Thank you in advance for any help and again, I apologize if this is a duplicate post.

EDIT: I do not want object[][] as the posted solution is referring to, I need object[,]. At least learn to read people before you start subtracting points.

Right, I actually looked at that but that will net me object[][] instead of object[,] Thank you for the suggestion however. — Lukas
– Lukas, Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 16:44
Linq cannot create a rectangular array - you'll need to use nested for loops. — D Stanley
– D Stanley, Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 16:55
Thank you Stanley. I opted for LINQ due to one-line code and hopefully a faster conversion time, but if it can't be done, then perhaps it's no wonder that I could not find such an answer. — Lukas
– Lukas, Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 17:04
Linq is just a shorter syntax for normal loops - you usually don't see any performance benefit. In fact, there's usually a very slight performance hit due to the overhead it has. — D Stanley
– D Stanley, Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 17:09

D Stanley · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-17 17:17:29Z

3

You cannot use Linq to create a rectangular array - Linq only operates on single-dimension arrays. You will need to use traditional for loops:

object[,] objectArray = new object[dtReportData.Rows.Count,
                                   dataTable1.Columns.Count];

for(int row = 0; row < dtReportData.Rows.Count; row++)
{
  for(int col = 0; col < dtReportData.Columns.Count; col++)
  {
    objectArray[row, col] = dtReportData.Rows[row][col];
  }
}

You could make this an extension method of DataTable to make the syntax cleaner if you like:

object[][] tableEnumerable = dtReportData.ToRectangularArray()

The extension method would be something like:

public static class MyDataTableExtensions
{
   public static object[,] ToRectangularArray(this DataTable dt)
   {
       // code above goes here
   }
}

edited Jun 17, 2015 at 17:17

answered Jun 17, 2015 at 17:08

D Stanley

153k12 gold badges189 silver badges257 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Comment

Lukas Over a year ago

So it can't be done with LINQ alone, fair enough. I'll mark this as an answer since there is a work around provided. Thank you!

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Convert DataTable into object[ , ] array with LINQ

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Linked

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Linked

Related