i basically want to know the differences or advantages in using a generic list instead of an array in the below mentioned scenario
class Employee
{
private string _empName;
public string EmpName
{
get{ return _empName; }
set{ _empName = value; }
}
}
1. Employee[] emp
2. List<Employee> emp
can anyone please tell me the advantages or disadvantages and which one to prefer?
With the generic list, you can Add / Remove etc cheaply (at least, at the far end). Resizing an array (to add/remove) is more expensive. The obvious downside is that a list has spare capacity so maybe wastes a few bytes - not worth worrying about in most cases, though (and you can trim it).
Generally, prefer lists unless you know your data never changes size.
API-wise, since LINQ there is little to choose between them (i.e. the extra methods on List<T> are largely duplicated by LINQ, so arrays get them for free).
Another advantage is that with a list you don't need to expose a setter:
private readonly List<Foo> items = new List<Foo>();
public List<Foo> Items { get { return items; } }
eliminating a range of null bugs, and allowing you to keep control over the data (especially if you use a different IList<> implementation that supports inspection / validation when changing the contents).
If you know the number of elements array is a good choice. If not use the list. Internally List<T> uses an array of T so the are actually more like than you may think.
With a List, you don't need to know the size of the array beforehand. You can dynamically add new Employee's based on the needs of your implementation.