C# | How to create a shallow copy of the BitArray (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 16 Jul, 2021

BitArray.Clone Method is used to create a shallow copy of the BitArray. This method only copies the elements of the collection, whether they are reference types or value types, but it does not copy the objects that the references refer to.
Syntax:

public object Clone ();

Example 1: Here we create an array of type byte. Then declare an object B1 of type BitArray and initialize it using the byte array created before. Declare another object B2 of type BitArray which will be used to store the clone of B1. The instruction B1.Clone returns the shallow copy of B1, which is of type System.Collections. Therefore explicitly convert it to BitArray before storing it in B2 object. And finally, display the cloned BitArray.

csharp `

// C# program to demonstrate the // BitArray.Clone Method using System; using System.Collections;

class GFG {

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // Declaring a byte array
    byte[] ByteArray = new byte[] {1, 3};

    // Declaring a BitArray object
    // Initializing to the byte array
    BitArray B1 = new BitArray(ByteArray);
    
    // Declaring a new BitArray object
    BitArray B2 = new BitArray(4);

    // Using the BitArray.Clone method
    B2 = (BitArray)B1.Clone();

    // Displaying the length of the BitArray
    Console.WriteLine("Length of B2: {0}", B2.Length);
    
    Console.WriteLine("\nB2 Contains:");

    // To display the values
    // of BitArray object B2
    foreach(Object item in B2)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(item);
    }

}

}

`

Output:

Length of B2: 16

B2 Contains: True False False False False False False False True True False False False False False False

Example 2: A shallow copy only copies the contents of the BitArray and not the object references, any changes made to B2 will only update those changes in B2 and not in B1.

csharp `

// C#Program to show changes in clone // don't affect the original BitArray using System; using System.Collections;

class GFG {

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // Declaring a bool array
    bool[] BooleanArray = new bool[] {true, 
                      false, true, false };

    // Declaring an object B1 of BitArray
    // Initialising with the bool array
    BitArray B1 = new BitArray(BooleanArray);
    
    int i;

    // Declaring object B2 of BitArray
    BitArray B2 = new BitArray(4);

    // Using the BitArray.Clone method
    B2 = (BitArray)B1.Clone();

    i = 4;

    // Displaying elements of B2
    Console.WriteLine("B2 Before Making any changes:");
    
    foreach(Object item in B2)
    {
        if (i <= 0) 
        {
            Console.WriteLine();
            i = 6;
        }
        i--;
        Console.Write("{0, 4} ", item);
    }

    // Updating elements of B2
    // at index 0 and 1
    B2[0] = false;
    B2[1] = true;

    i = 4;

    // Displaying elements 
    // of B2 after updating
    Console.WriteLine("\n\nB2 After changes:");
    
    foreach(Object item in B2)
    {
        if (i <= 0) 
        {
            Console.WriteLine();
            i = 6;
        }
        i--;
        Console.Write("{0, 4} ", item);
    }

    // Displaying elements of B1
    Console.WriteLine("\n\nB1 After Changes:");
    
    i = 4;
    
    foreach(Object item in B1)
    {
        if (i <= 0) 
        {
            Console.WriteLine();
            i = 6;
        }
        i--;
        Console.Write("{0, 4} ", item);
    }

}

}

`

Output:

B2 Before Making any changes: True False True False

B2 After changes: False True True False

B1 After Changes: True False True False

Reference: