C# ArrayList - ToArray() Method

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The C# ArrayList ToArray() method is used to copy the elements of an 'ArrayList' into a new array object. It can also create a new array of a specified element type. This method allows us to work with the data in array format, which may be more suitable for certain contexts.

Syntax

Following are the syntax of the C# ArrayList ToArray() method −

public virtual Array ToArray();
public virtual Array ToArray (Type type);

Parameters

This method accepts a single parameter −

• type: It specifies the desired type of the elements in the returned array.

Return value

This method returns an array of the specified element types containing a copy of the elements of the ArrayList.

Example 1: ToArray the Entire ArrayList

Following is the basic example of the ToArray() method to convert an ArrayList into a Array object −

using System;
using System.Collections;
class Program
{
   static void Main()
   {
      ArrayList list = new ArrayList() { 10, "Hello", 3.4, "tutorialspoint"};
      object[] array = list.ToArray();
      Console.WriteLine("Array Elements:");
      foreach (var item in array)
      {
         Console.WriteLine(item);
      }
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

Array Elements:
10
Hello
3.4
tutorialspoint

Example 2: Convert an ArrayList into Integer Array

The below example creates an ArrayList with integer elements. We then use the ToArray() method to convert the ArrayList into an integer array −

using System;
using System.Collections;
class Program
{
   static void Main()
   {
      ArrayList list = new ArrayList() { 1, 2, 3 };
      // Convert to int array
      int[] intArray = (int[])list.ToArray(typeof(int));
      Console.WriteLine("Integer Array Elements:");
      foreach (var item in intArray)
      {
         Console.WriteLine(item);
      }
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

Integer Array Elements:
1
2
3

Example 3: Convert an ArrayList Into a String Array

Here, in this example, we use the ToArray() method to convert the ArrayList into a string array object −

using System;
using System.Collections;
class Program
{
   static void Main()
   {
      ArrayList list = new ArrayList() { "Aman", "Rahhul", "Akash", "Vivek"};
      // Convert to int array
      string[] strArray = (string[])list.ToArray(typeof(string));
      Console.WriteLine("String Array Elements:");
      foreach (var item in strArray)
      {
         Console.WriteLine(item);
      }
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

String Array Elements:
Aman
Rahhul
Akash
Vivek

Example 4: If ArrayList Contains Different Types of Elements

Here, in the following example, this method throws an 'InvalidCastException'. If the source ArrayList contains different types of elements, it can not be cast automatically to the specified type −

using System;
using System.Collections;
class Program
{
   static void Main()
   {
      ArrayList list = new ArrayList() { "Aman", 'A', "Rahhul", 'R', "Akash", "Vivek", 'v'};
      // Convert to int array
      string[] strArray = (string[])list.ToArray(typeof(string));
      Console.WriteLine("String Array Elements:");
      foreach (var item in strArray)
      {
         Console.WriteLine(item);
      }
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

Unhandled Exception:
System.InvalidCastException