How to: Create Arrays of Managed Arrays (Jagged Arrays) 

These samples show how to create single-dimension arrays of managed array of reference, value, and native pointer types. It also shows how to return a single-dimension array of managed array from a function and how to pass a single-dimension array as an argument to a function.

Example

// mcppv2_array_of_arrays.cpp
// compile with: /clr
using namespace System;

#define ARRAY_SIZE 2

value struct MyStruct {
   int m_i;
};

ref class MyClass {
public:
   int m_i;
};

// Returns an array of managed arrays of a reference type.
array<array<MyClass^>^>^ Test0() {
   int size_of_array = 4;
   array<array<MyClass^>^>^ local = gcnew 
      array<array<MyClass^>^>(ARRAY_SIZE);

   for (int i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++, size_of_array += 4) {
      local[i] = gcnew array<MyClass^>(size_of_array);
      for (int k = 0; k < size_of_array ; k++) {
         local[i][k] = gcnew MyClass;
         local[i][k] -> m_i = i;
      }
   }

   return local;
}

// Returns a managed array of Int32.
array<array<Int32>^>^ Test1() {
   int i;
   array<array<Int32>^>^ local = gcnew array<array< Int32 >^>(ARRAY_SIZE);

   for (i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++) {
      local[i] = gcnew array< Int32 >(ARRAY_SIZE);
         for ( int j = 0 ; j < ARRAY_SIZE ; j++ ) 
            local[i][j] = i + 10;
   }
   return local;
}

int main() {
   int i, j;

   // Declares an array of user-defined reference types
   // and initializes with a function.
   array< array< MyClass^ >^ >^ MyClass0;
   MyClass0 = Test0();

   for (i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++)
      for ( j = 0 ; j < ARRAY_SIZE ; j++ ) 
         Console::WriteLine("MyClass0[{0}] = {1}", i, MyClass0[i][j] -> m_i);
   Console::WriteLine();


   // Declares an array of value types and initializes with a function.
   array< array< Int32 >^ >^ IntArray;
   IntArray = Test1();

   for (i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++)
      for (j = 0 ; j < ARRAY_SIZE ; j++)
      Console::WriteLine("IntArray[{0}] = {1}", i, IntArray[i][j]);
   Console::WriteLine();

   // Declares and initializes an array of user-defined value types.
   array< MyStruct >^ MyStruct1 = gcnew array< MyStruct >(ARRAY_SIZE);
   for (i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++) {
      MyStruct1[i] = MyStruct();
      MyStruct1[i].m_i = i + 40;
   }

   for (i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++)
      Console::WriteLine(MyStruct1[i].m_i);
}

Output

MyClass0[0] = 0
MyClass0[0] = 0
MyClass0[1] = 1
MyClass0[1] = 1

IntArray[0] = 10
IntArray[0] = 10
IntArray[1] = 11
IntArray[1] = 11

40
41

Example

The following sample shows how to perform aggregate initialization with jagged arrays.

// mcppv2_array_of_arrays_aggregate_init.cpp
// compile with: /clr
using namespace System;
#define ARRAY_SIZE 2
int size_of_array = 4;
int count = 0;

ref class MyClass {
public:
   int m_i;
};

struct MyNativeClass {
   int m_i;
};

int main() {
   // Declares an array of user-defined reference types
   // and performs an aggregate initialization
   array< array< MyClass^ >^ >^ MyClass0 = gcnew array<array<MyClass^>^> {
      gcnew array<MyClass^>{ gcnew MyClass(), gcnew MyClass() },
      gcnew array<MyClass^>{ gcnew MyClass(), gcnew MyClass() }
   };

   for ( int i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++, size_of_array += 4 )
      for ( int k = 0 ; k < ARRAY_SIZE ; k++ )
         MyClass0[i][k] -> m_i = i;

   for ( int i = 0 ; i < ARRAY_SIZE ; i++ )
      for ( int j = 0 ; j < ARRAY_SIZE ; j++ ) 
         Console::WriteLine("MyClass0[{0}] = {1}", i, MyClass0[i][j] -> m_i);
   Console::WriteLine();

   // Declares an array of value types and performs an aggregate initialization
   array< array< Int32 >^ >^ IntArray = gcnew array<array< Int32 >^> {
      gcnew array<Int32>{1,2},
      gcnew array<Int32>{3,4,5}
   };

   for each ( array<int>^ outer in IntArray ) {
      Console::Write("["); 

      for each( int i in outer )
         Console::Write(" {0}", i);

      Console::Write(" ]");
      Console::WriteLine();
   }
   Console::WriteLine();

   // Declares and initializes an array of pointers to a native type.
   array<array< MyNativeClass * >^ > ^ MyClass2 = 
      gcnew array<array< MyNativeClass * > ^> {
         gcnew array<MyNativeClass *>{ new MyNativeClass(), new MyNativeClass() },
         gcnew array<MyNativeClass *>{ new MyNativeClass(), new MyNativeClass(), new MyNativeClass() }
      };

   for each ( array<MyNativeClass *> ^ outer in MyClass2 )
      for each( MyNativeClass* i in outer )
         i->m_i = count++;

   for each ( array<MyNativeClass *> ^ outer in MyClass2 ) {
      Console::Write("[");
      for each( MyNativeClass* i in outer )
         Console::Write(" {0}", i->m_i);
      Console::Write(" ]");
      Console::WriteLine();
   }
   Console::WriteLine();


   // Declare and initialize array of two-dimensional arrays of strings
   array<array<String ^,2> ^> ^gc3 = gcnew array<array<String ^,2> ^>{ 
      gcnew array<String ^>{ {"a","b"}, {"c", "d"}, {"e","f"} },
      gcnew array<String ^>{ {"g", "h"} } 
   };

   for each ( array<String^, 2> ^ outer in gc3 ){
      Console::Write("[");
      for each( String ^ i in outer )
         Console::Write(" {0}", i);
      Console::Write(" ]");
      Console::WriteLine();
   }
}

Output

MyClass0[0] = 0
MyClass0[0] = 0
MyClass0[1] = 1
MyClass0[1] = 1

[ 1 2 ]
[ 3 4 5 ]

[ 0 1 ]
[ 2 3 4 ]

[ a b c d e f ]
[ g h ]

See Also

Reference

array