Use linq to convert string to 3D array

Question

I saw examples, and have implemented linq to convert a delimited string to a 2D array like so:

using System;
using System.Linq;

namespace AACOBusinessModel.Extensions
{
  [Serializable]
  public class TwoDimensionalStringArray
  {
    public TwoDimensionalStringArray(string data)
    {
      // 1;2;3^^4;5;6
      this.Data = (
          from string line
          in data.Split(new string[] { "^^" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
          select line.Split(';')
        ).ToArray();
    }

    public TwoDimensionalStringArray() { }

    public readonly string[][] Data = { };

    public override string ToString()
    {
      return string.Join("^^",
        from string[] line
        in Data
        select string.Join(";", line)
      );
    }
  }
}

When I tried to make this work in 3D I ran into an issue:

using System;
using System.Linq;

namespace AACOBusinessModel.Extensions
{
  [Serializable]
  public class ThreeDimensionalStringArray
  {
    public ThreeDimensionalStringArray(string data)
    {
      // 1;2;3^^4;5;6@4;4;4^^7;7;7
      this.Data = (
          from string line2D
          in data.Split(new string[] { "@" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
          from string line
          in line2D.Split(new string[] { "^^" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
          select line.Split(';')
        );
    }

    public ThreeDimensionalStringArray() { }

    public readonly string[][][] Data = { };

    public override string ToString()
    {
      return string.Join("@",
        from string[][] line2D
        in Data
        select string.Join("^^", 
          from string[] line 
          in line2D
          select string.Join(";", line)
        )
      );
    }
  }
}

I understand that with 2D the ending select was a collection of splits converted to an array thus making a 2D array.

But with 3D, the ending select needs to select a collection of 2D arrays. I don't know how to do this.

UPDATE

I came up with this but I'd like the query syntax if it's possible.

public ThreeDimensionalStringArray(string data)
{
  this.Data = (
      from string line2D
      in data.Split(new string[] { "@" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
      select (
        from string line
        in line2D.Split(new string[] { "^^" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
        select line.Split(';')
      ).ToArray()
    ).ToArray();
}

Xiaoy312 · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-22 21:20:47Z

2

Not sure how this should be done in query syntax, but here is the method syntax version:

this.Data = data
    .Split(new[] { "@" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
    .Select(table => table.Split(new[] { "^^" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
        .Select(row => row.Split(';'))
        .ToArray())
    .ToArray();

In query synax :

this.Data = (
    from table in data.Split(new[] { "@" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
    select
    (
        from row in table.Split(new[] { "^^" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
        select row.Split(';')
    ).ToArray()
).ToArray();

edited Nov 22, 2016 at 21:20

answered Nov 22, 2016 at 21:16

Xiaoy312

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1 Comment

toddmo Over a year ago

you are a b;a;d^^a;s;s@t;h;a;n;k^^y;o;u

Kirk Broadhurst · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-22 21:34:08Z

1

You'll need a nested select clause to return a nested collection.

Making a list and then converting to an array will work for you

this.Data = (
    from string line2D
    in data.Split(new string[] { "@" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
    select new List<string>(    
      from string line
      in line2D.Split(new string[] { "^^" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
      select line.Split(';')).ToArray());

edited Nov 22, 2016 at 21:34

answered Nov 22, 2016 at 21:22

Kirk Broadhurst

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2 Comments

toddmo Over a year ago

you got rid of the second .ToArray() call. Nice.

toddmo Over a year ago

still not compiling on inner from. "cannot convert from 'System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<string[]>' to 'int'"

Slai · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-22 23:42:42Z

1

I usually end up with mostly the same common general extensions in .NET projects:

public static string[] splitR(this string str, params string[] separators) {
    return str.Split(separators, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries); }

public static O[] convert<I, O>(this I[] array, Converter<I, O> converter) {
    return Array.ConvertAll(array, converter); }

public static string joinT<T>(this T[] values, string separator) {
    return string.Join(separator, values); }

and then just:

string s = "1;2;3^^4;5;6@4;4;4^^7;7;7";

string[][][] s3 = s.splitR("@").convert(x => x.splitR("^^").convert(y => y.splitR(";")));

string s0 = s3.convert(x => x.convert(y => y.joinT(";")).joinT("^^")).joinT("@");

answered Nov 22, 2016 at 23:42

Slai

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2 Comments

toddmo Over a year ago

Do you teach at the academy on Vulcan? This is out of this world. I'm going to have to study this over coffee. It's like a spaceship just landed in my back yard. It almost looks like you could take this and make a NDimensionalStringArray class that takes the dimension in the constructor.

Slai Over a year ago

it's my bad habit of trying to fit code in as few lines as possible so that I can see more code with less scrolling :] I was thinking of some kind of generic recursive function to handle variable number of delimiters, but got distracted and gave up after few minutes. I just hope that none of your values contain any of those 3 delimiters, because that would be a bit of trouble.

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