C# - ToDictionary Method

ToDictionary. This C# extension method converts a collection into a Dictionary. It works on IEnumerable collections such as arrays and Lists.

ToArray

ToList

We can use ToDictionary to optimize performance—while retaining short and clear code. This method simplifies the demands of the code.

Dictionary

IEnumerable

First example. Building up dictionaries can require a significant amount of code. When we use ToDictionary, we can use less code to create a Dictionary.

Part 1 We initialize an array of 4 integers, all odd numbers. These ints will be used to create a Dictionary.

Part 2 We invoke ToDictionary. The 2 arguments to ToDictionary are lambdas: the first sets each key, and the second sets each value.

Part 3 We specify a lambda. For keys, we use the ints from the array. For the values, we return "true" no matter what the key is.

Lambda

using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; class Program { static void Main() { // Part 1: create example integer array. int[] values = new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }; // Part 2: call ToDictionary. // Part 3: specify lambda as argument. Dictionary<int, bool> dictionary = values.ToDictionary(v => v, v => true); // Display all keys and values. foreach (KeyValuePair<int, bool> pair in dictionary) { Console.WriteLine(pair); } } }

[1, True] [3, True] [5, True] [7, True]

String example. Dictionaries are most useful for strings and string lookups. This allows us to use a number (hash code) in place of a string, greatly speeding things up.

Also Here we use the var keyword to simplify the syntax. Var helps reduce repetitive syntax.

var

using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; class Program { static void Main() { // Example with strings and List. List<string> list = new List<string>() { "cat", "dog", "animal" }; var animals = list.ToDictionary(x => x, x => true); if (animals.ContainsKey("dog")) { // This is in the Dictionary. Console.WriteLine("dog exists"); } } }

dog exists

IEqualityComparer. The ToDictionary method can receives a third argument, an IEqualityComparer. Here we use StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase to create a case-insensitive dictionary.

using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; class Program { static void Main() { List<string> list = new List<string>() { "cat", "bird" }; // Create case-insensitive dictionary. var pets = list.ToDictionary(x => x, x => true, StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase); if (pets.ContainsKey("CAT")) { Console.WriteLine("CAT exists"); } } }

CAT exists

Notes, LINQ. ToDictionary allows us to use fewer lines of code to insert elements into a Dictionary. This method is elegant and fits well with other LINQ code.

A summary. We used ToDictionary to transform a collection (such as an array or List) into a Dictionary collection. This provides constant-time lookups.