LINQ

In the System.Linq namespace, we find many extensions to the C# language. These enhancements include support for query expressions, and extension methods.

With query expressions, we can search or sort a collection with just a few keywords, directly in the C# program. We can even group together elements in a certain way.

Query example

To begin, this example introduces a query expression—it starts with the keyword "from" which is a contextual keyword. Query expressions often end in "select."

using System;
using System.Linq;

int[] values = { 1, 10, 100, 5 };

// Step 1: select all elements greater than or equal to 10.
var result = from v in values
             where v >= 10
             select v;

// Step 2: evaluate the query.
foreach (var value in result)
{
    Console.WriteLine(value);
}
10
100

Orderby

One of the most useful features of LINQ is orderby—this allows us to specify that a query sorts its results. Here we use the default int sort, which goes from low to high.

using System;
using System.Linq;

int[] values = { 3, 10, -1, 30, -3 };

// Sort in ascending order, from low to high.
var result = from v in values
             orderby v
             select v;

foreach (var value in result)
{
    Console.WriteLine(value);
}
-3
-1
3
10
30

Descending

Sometimes we want a reverse-ordered sort—a descending instead of ascending sort. With LINQ, we can use orderby with the descending keyword after it.

using System;
using System.Linq;

string[] animals = { "cat", "turtle", "ant" };

// Sort strings reverse alphabetically, from last to first.
var result = from a in animals
             orderby a descending
             select a;

foreach (var value in result)
{
    Console.WriteLine(value);
}
turtle
cat
ant

Group

We can use query expressions to group together the results of the query. We need to end the query with a "group" clauses, which includes a "by" part.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

// Step 1: create list of tuples.
var list = new List<Tuple<int, string>>();
list.Add(new Tuple<int, string>(5, "green"));
list.Add(new Tuple<int, string>(5, "blue"));
list.Add(new Tuple<int, string>(20, "orange"));
list.Add(new Tuple<int, string>(20, "yellow"));
list.Add(new Tuple<int, string>(20, "magenta"));

// Step 2: use query to group by first item in each tuple.
var result = from v in list
             group v by v.Item1;

// Step 3: display results.
foreach (var value in result)
{
    Console.WriteLine(value.Key);
    foreach (var item in value)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("    " + item.Item2);
    }
}
5
    green
    blue
20
    orange
    yellow
    magenta

Extension method

When we include the System.Linq namespace, we gain access to many extension methods that act upon IEnumerables. The Average() method is one such extension.

using System;
using System.Linq;

int[] numbers = { 2, 4, 6, 8 };

// Use Average extension method.
var average = numbers.Average();
Console.WriteLine(average);
5

Chain extensions

It is possible to call an extension method right after another one—in this way, we can "chain" extension methods. Here we use Take, and then Average the result of Take.

using System;
using System.Linq;

int[] elements = { 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 };

// Average first 3 numbers.
var averageFirst3 = elements.Take(3).Average();
Console.WriteLine(averageFirst3);
10

Any extension, lambda

The Any() method is an extension—we must include System.Linq to access it. It receives a lambda expression (a Predicate) that must return a bool value.

using System;
using System.Linq;

int[] values = { 10, -200, 1, 30, -1 };

// Use Any() to determine if a negative number exists.
var hasNegative = values.Any(x => x < 0);
Console.WriteLine(hasNegative);
True

Query with extension

We can use an extension method directly upon a query expression—we need to surround the expression in parentheses. Here we Take() the first 2 results of an orderby query.

using System;
using System.Linq;

int[] numbers = { 5, 10, 1 };

// Use Take directly on a query.
var result = (from n in numbers
              orderby n
              select n).Take(2);

foreach (var value in result)
{
    Console.WriteLine(value);
}
1
5

FirstOrDefault

With this method, we get the first element in an IEnumerable, if one exists. If the collection if empty, we get the default value—for int, this is 0.

using System;
using System.Linq;

int[] elements = { 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 };

// Part 1: use FirstOrDefault when an element exists.
var first1 = elements.FirstOrDefault();
Console.WriteLine("FIRSTORDEFAULT: {0}", first1);

elements = new int[] {};

// Part 2: use FirstOrDefault on empty collection.
var first2 = elements.FirstOrDefault();
Console.WriteLine("FIRSTORDEFAULT: {0}", first2);
FIRSTORDEFAULT: 5
FIRSTORDEFAULT: 0

ElementAtOrDefault

Similar to the FirstOrDefault method, ElementAtOrDefault allows us to safely get an element at any index. If we pass an out-of-range index, the default value is returned.

using System;
using System.Linq;

string[] sizes = { "small", "medium", "large" };

// Use ElementAtOrDefault with various indexes.
var element1 = sizes.ElementAtOrDefault(1);
Console.WriteLine("ELEMENTATORDEFAULT: {0}", element1);
var element100 = sizes.ElementAtOrDefault(100);
Console.WriteLine("ELEMENTATORDEFAULT: {0}", element100);

// Use ElementAt, which may cause an error.
var element2 = sizes.ElementAt(2);
Console.WriteLine("ELEMENTAT: {0}", element2);
ELEMENTATORDEFAULT: medium
ELEMENTATORDEFAULT:
ELEMENTAT: large

Summary

LINQ is a powerful feature in the C# language, and its many extension methods can often simplify programs. And query expressions often help with sorting elements within a collection.