Representation of 2D Array

To understand 2D array, lets see how 1D array can be pictorially depicted:

Code:

Dim myArray() As String = {“This”,“Is”,“A”,"Single Dimensional”, “Array!”}

Tabular format:

0 1 2 3 4

“This” “Is” “A” “Single Dimensional” “Array!”

Pictorial Representation of a 2D array:

Columns

R 0 1 2 3 4
o
w 1 “My” “First” “2D” “Array”
s
2 “This” “Is” “Cool” “DS”

3 “CS” “Is” “Awesome” “field!”

4 “I” “love” “CS” “very much!”

Equivalent code:

Dim​ my2DArray(,) As String = {{​"My"​, ​"First"​, ​"2D"​, ​"Array"​},

{​"This"​, ​"Is"​, ​"Cool"​, ​"DS"​},
{​"CS"​, ​"Is"​, ​"Awesome"​, ​"field."​},
{​"I"​, ​"love"​, ​"CS"​, ​"very much!"​}}

Or

Dim​ my2DArray(4,4) As String

my2DArray(0,0) = ​"My"
my2DArray(0,1) = ​"First"
my2DArray(0,2) = ​"2D"
my2DArray(0,3) = ​"Array"

my2DArray(1,0) = ​"This"
my2DArray(1,1) = "​ Is"

1
 my2DArray(1,2) = ​"Cool"
my2DArray(1,3) = ​"DS"
my2DArray(2,0) = ​"CS"
my2DArray(2,1) = ​"Is"
my2DArray(2,2) = ​"Awesome"
my2DArray(2,3) = ​"field!"

my2DArray(3,0) = ​"I"
my2DArray(3,1) = ​"love"
my2DArray(3,2) = ​"CS"
my2DArray(3,3) = ​"very much!"

Accessing 2D array elements

Element in 2D array can be accessed using: ​my2DArray(nth row, nth column)

Question 1: Access the string: “Awesome” from 2D array implemented in the previous section.

Solution:

It is located at second row and second column. Hence code statement: ​my2DArray(2,2)

To display it in the console: ​Console.WriteLine(my2DArray(2,2))

Question 2: Accessing all of the elements and printing them in the console.

Solution: All of elements are accessed by inner and outer loop. Code as follows:

'To access inner array. Inner arrays are treated as rows.

For​ row = 0 ​to​ 3
​'To access the element.
​For​ col = 0 ​to​ 3
​'To print elements of a row within same line followed by a
'separator.
Console.Write(my2DArray(row, col) & ​" "​)
​Next
​'Once all elements of the row is displayed, we move to the next line
Console.WriteLine()
Next

Output: