ReadOnlyCollection<T>.CopyTo(T[], Int32) Method

public:
 virtual void CopyTo(cli::array <T> ^ array, int index);

public void CopyTo(T[] array, int index);

abstract member CopyTo : 'T[] * int -> unit
override this.CopyTo : 'T[] * int -> unit

Public Sub CopyTo (array As T(), index As Integer)

The following code example demonstrates several members of the ReadOnlyCollection<T> class. The code example creates a List<T> of strings and adds four dinosaur names to it. The code example then wraps the list in a ReadOnlyCollection<T>.

After demonstrating the Count, Contains, Item[], and IList.IndexOf members, the code example shows that the ReadOnlyCollection<T> is just a wrapper for the original List<T> by adding a new item to the List<T> and displaying the contents of the ReadOnlyCollection<T>.

Finally, the code example creates an array larger than the collection and uses the CopyTo method to insert the elements of the collection into the middle of the array.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;

public class Example
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        List<string> dinosaurs = new List<string>();

        dinosaurs.Add("Tyrannosaurus");
        dinosaurs.Add("Amargasaurus");
        dinosaurs.Add("Deinonychus");
        dinosaurs.Add("Compsognathus");

        ReadOnlyCollection<string> readOnlyDinosaurs =
            new ReadOnlyCollection<string>(dinosaurs);

        Console.WriteLine();
        foreach( string dinosaur in readOnlyDinosaurs )
        {
            Console.WriteLine(dinosaur);
        }

        Console.WriteLine("\nCount: {0}", readOnlyDinosaurs.Count);

        Console.WriteLine("\nContains(\"Deinonychus\"): {0}",
            readOnlyDinosaurs.Contains("Deinonychus"));

        Console.WriteLine("\nreadOnlyDinosaurs[3]: {0}",
            readOnlyDinosaurs[3]);

        Console.WriteLine("\nIndexOf(\"Compsognathus\"): {0}",
            readOnlyDinosaurs.IndexOf("Compsognathus"));

        Console.WriteLine("\nInsert into the wrapped List:");
        Console.WriteLine("Insert(2, \"Oviraptor\")");
        dinosaurs.Insert(2, "Oviraptor");

        Console.WriteLine();
        foreach( string dinosaur in readOnlyDinosaurs )
        {
            Console.WriteLine(dinosaur);
        }

        string[] dinoArray = new string[readOnlyDinosaurs.Count + 2];
        readOnlyDinosaurs.CopyTo(dinoArray, 1);

        Console.WriteLine("\nCopied array has {0} elements:",
            dinoArray.Length);
        foreach( string dinosaur in dinoArray )
        {
            Console.WriteLine("\"{0}\"", dinosaur);
        }
    }
}

/* This code example produces the following output:

Tyrannosaurus
Amargasaurus
Deinonychus
Compsognathus

Count: 4

Contains("Deinonychus"): True

readOnlyDinosaurs[3]: Compsognathus

IndexOf("Compsognathus"): 3

Insert into the wrapped List:
Insert(2, "Oviraptor")

Tyrannosaurus
Amargasaurus
Oviraptor
Deinonychus
Compsognathus

Copied array has 7 elements:
""
"Tyrannosaurus"
"Amargasaurus"
"Oviraptor"
"Deinonychus"
"Compsognathus"
""
 */

Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Collections.ObjectModel

Public Class Example

    Public Shared Sub Main()

        Dim dinosaurs As New List(Of String)

        dinosaurs.Add("Tyrannosaurus")
        dinosaurs.Add("Amargasaurus")
        dinosaurs.Add("Deinonychus")
        dinosaurs.Add("Compsognathus")

        Dim readOnlyDinosaurs As _
            New ReadOnlyCollection(Of String)(dinosaurs)

        Console.WriteLine()
        For Each dinosaur As String In readOnlyDinosaurs
            Console.WriteLine(dinosaur)
        Next

        Console.WriteLine(vbLf & "Count: {0}", _
            readOnlyDinosaurs.Count)

        Console.WriteLine(vbLf & "Contains(""Deinonychus""): {0}", _
            readOnlyDinosaurs.Contains("Deinonychus"))

        Console.WriteLine(vbLf & _
            "readOnlyDinosaurs(3): {0}", readOnlyDinosaurs(3))

        Console.WriteLine(vbLf & "IndexOf(""Compsognathus""): {0}", _
            readOnlyDinosaurs.IndexOf("Compsognathus"))

        Console.WriteLine(vbLf & "Insert into the wrapped List:")
        Console.WriteLine("Insert(2, ""Oviraptor"")")
        dinosaurs.Insert(2, "Oviraptor")

        Console.WriteLine()
        For Each dinosaur As String In readOnlyDinosaurs
            Console.WriteLine(dinosaur)
        Next

        Dim dinoArray(readOnlyDinosaurs.Count + 1) As String
        readOnlyDinosaurs.CopyTo(dinoArray, 1)

        Console.WriteLine(vbLf & "Copied array has {0} elements:", _
            dinoArray.Length)
        For Each dinosaur As String In dinoArray
            Console.WriteLine("""{0}""", dinosaur)
        Next

   End Sub
End Class

' This code example produces the following output:
'
'Tyrannosaurus
'Amargasaurus
'Deinonychus
'Compsognathus
'
'Count: 4
'
'Contains("Deinonychus"): True
'
'readOnlyDinosaurs(3): Compsognathus
'
'IndexOf("Compsognathus"): 3
'
'Insert into the wrapped List:
'Insert(2, "Oviraptor")
'
'Tyrannosaurus
'Amargasaurus
'Oviraptor
'Deinonychus
'Compsognathus
'
'Copied array has 7 elements:
'""
'"Tyrannosaurus"
'"Amargasaurus"
'"Oviraptor"
'"Deinonychus"
'"Compsognathus"
'""

This method uses Array.Copy to copy the elements.

The elements are copied to the Array in the same order that the enumerator iterates through the ReadOnlyCollection<T>.

This method is an O(n) operation, where n is Count.