How Can I Generate a Comprehensive Date List Between Two Dates for Multi-Series Graph Alignment?

Aligning Multi-Series Graphs: Generating a Complete Date Range

Creating multi-series graphs often presents a challenge: different data series may have inconsistent data intervals within the same timeframe, leading to misaligned charts. To solve this, we need a complete date list spanning the entire range, regardless of data gaps. This ensures proper alignment and allows for zero-padding of missing data points.

Method 1: Elegant LINQ Solution

This concise LINQ approach efficiently generates the desired date list:

<code class="language-csharp">Enumerable.Range(0, 1 + end.Subtract(start).Days)
          .Select(offset => start.AddDays(offset))
          .ToArray();</code>

This code first creates a sequence of integers representing the day offsets from the start date. Then, it adds each offset to the start date, producing an array containing every date within the specified range.

Method 2: Iterative For Loop

Alternatively, a for loop provides a more explicit, step-by-step approach:

<code class="language-csharp">var dates = new List<DateTime>();

for (var dt = start; dt <= end; dt = dt.AddDays(1))
{
   dates.Add(dt);
}</code>

This loop iterates day by day, adding each date to a list until the end date is reached.

Filling Gaps with Default Values

To handle missing data, use a dictionary to map each date in the complete range to its corresponding value (or a default if the date is absent):

<code class="language-csharp">var paddedSeries = fullDates.ToDictionary(date => date, date => timeSeries.ContainsKey(date) 
                                               ? timeSeries[date] : defaultValue);</code>

Here, fullDates is the comprehensive date list. If timeSeries contains a value for a given date, that value is used; otherwise, the defaultValue is assigned. This ensures that all dates are represented in the final series.

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