ArrayList vs. List: When Should You Choose Which in C#?

The comparison of ArrayList and List in C#: When will it choose?

In C#, ArrayList and List are commonly used in managing data sets. Although there are similarities between the two, there are some key differences between them.

Type safe

The fundamental difference between

ArrayList and List is type safety. ArrayList stores any type of objects without compulsory execution of any specific types of constraints. On the other hand, List is a generic collection, which means that it can instantiate with specific types of parameters (for example, list ). This type of security ensures that only the specified type object can be added to the list.

Packing and boxing

When using ArrayList, the value type (eg, an integer or dual accuracy) object is used as an object reference storage. This means that they will go through a process called boxing, which is packed in the object packaging. Instead, when the access value, it must be kept back to its original value type. List is safe because of its type, which directly stores the value of specified types to avoid this potential overhead.

generic interface and linq

List implements the generics Ienumerable

interface, which provides strong types of support for iterative collection. This allows it to be seamlessly integrated with language integration query (linq), which can easily perform complex data conversion and filtering operations. On the other hand, ArrayList lacks this generic function and needs to be explicitly transformed when iterates.

Performance

Generally speaking, List's performance is better than ArrayList. By avoiding boxing and boxing, List provides faster data access and operation speed, especially for value types.

When to use ArrayList

When you need to store various types of objects in a collection, ArrayList is mainly used. However, it is generally recommended to use List as much as possible, especially in the new code, because it provides enhanced type security, performance and Linq integration.

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