c# getting a list from a field out of a list

Question

Hi, I'm sorry about the confusing title, but i didnt find a better way to explain my issue.

I have a list of objects,myList, lets call them 'MyObject'. the objects look something like this:

Class MyObject
{
    int MYInt{get;set;}
    string MYString{get;set;}
}

List<MyObject> myList;
...

I am looking for a nice/short/fancy way to create a List<string> from 'myList', where i am using only the 'MyString' property.

I can do this using myList.forEach(), but i was wondering if there's a nicer way

Thanks!!

Answer 1

With LINQ:

var list = myList.Select(o => o.MYString);

That returns an IEnumerable<string>. To get a List<string> simply add a call to ToList():

var list = myList.Select(o => o.MYString).ToList();

Then iterate over the results as you normally would:

foreach (string s in list)
{
    Console.WriteLine(s);
}

Answer 2

Here's Ahmad's answer using integrated query syntax:

var strings = from x in myList
              select x.MYString;

List<string> list = strings.ToList();

This could also be written:

List<string> list = (from x in myList
                     select x.MYString).ToList();

Answer 3

There's no need for LINQ if your input and output lists are both List<T>. You can use the ConvertAll method instead:

List<string> listOfStrings = myList.ConvertAll(o => o.MYString);