Question

In the C# programming language, how do I pass a row of a multi-dimensional array? For example, suppose I have the following:

int[,] foo;
foo = new int[6,4];
int[] least;
least = new int[6];

for(int i = 0; i < 6; i++)
{
    least[i] = FindLeast(ref foo[i]);     //How do I pass the ith row of foo???
}

Also, could anyone explain to me the benefit of having rectangular and jagged arrays in C#? Does this occur in other popular programming languages? (Java?)
Thanks for all the help!

Answer 1

You can’t pass a row of a rectangular array, you have to use a jagged array (an array of arrays):

int[][] foo = new int[6][];

for(int i = 0; i < 6; i++)
    foo[i] = new int[4];

int[] least = new int[6];

for(int i = 0; i < 6; i++)
    least[i] = FindLeast(foo[i]);

EDIT
If you find it so annoying to use a jagged array and desperately need a rectangular one, a simple trick will save you:

int FindLeast(int[,] rectangularArray, int row)