understanding arrays

[drpcken]

I'm trying to get a concept of how an array is used in vb.net.

I read alot, and understand its a list of the same datatype, but I have in my mind its like a grid or something, i think i'm totally off, but what examples could I read to explain how an array is used in coding? Any good tutorials i might have missed?

Sorry for the ignorance
Thanks again guys!

[Briantcva]

You're not wrong in thinking of an array as a grid - esp. when thinking of multidimensional arrays.

At its simplest though, an array is just a list of objects - be it the built in types (string, int, etc), or your own objects. The grid in this case is just one "column" wide and as many rows as you like.

So we could have an array of members of drpcken's family and then operate on them (via the array) as a group.

[yaksplat]

Arrays can also eliminate unnecessary coding.

without arrays

Private Sub InitalizeVars()

dim var1 as integer = 0
dim var2 as integer = 0
dim var3 as integer =0
dim var4 as integer =0
.
.
.
dim var500 as integer =0
end Sub

with arrays

Private Sub InitalizeVars()

        Dim var(499) As Integer
        Dim i As Integer = 0

        For i = 0 To 499
            var(i) = 0
        Next
End Sub

Compare 500 lines of code to 5. This is a very simplistic example, but that's how you start out learning.

Jim

[drpcken]

thats awsome

one more then i think i'll get this: so an array is a temp storage space too? hmm, so that would technically make it a variable, but a group of variables as well.

[ironhide]

An array is like a variable, except the memory is still reserved for the number of elements in the array.

Ie. An Integer array with 20 elements the equivalent of declaring 20 integer variables (in terms of memory).

[wossname]

You could think of a 3 dimensional array like this...


Where the 3 dimensions are length, width and height of the cuboid.