2-dimensional arrays

Two-dimensional arrays
- We have seen a one-dimensional array:
  The array elements are selected using a one index
- A two-dimensional array is an array where its elements are selected (identified) using two indices.
  Example:
A note on Java's 2-dimensional arrays
- What I am going to teach here is a simpler version of Java's 2-dimensional arrays
- Many programming languages (such as C and C++) that provide static array, allow the programmer to define rectangular 2-dimensional arrays
  In a rectangular 2-dimensional arrays, each row and column in the array has the same number of array elements.
  Example:
- A 2-dimensional array in Java can have different numbers of elements in different rows
  Example:
  (We will only discuss and use rectanglar 2-dimensional arrays in this course).

Defining a (retangular) 2-dimensional array

Defining a 2-dimensional array: (just like a one-dimensional array - is a 2 step process)

Step 1:

Define an array object reference variable refering to a 2-dimensional array

Example:

double[][] a; // double[][] means: // a reference (location) of a 2 dim. array

Step 2: (same as a one-dimensional array !!!!)

Create the (2-dimensional) array and store the location of the first element of the array in the (array) object reference variable

Example:

a = new double[3][4]; // new double[3][4] creates a 3x4 array // A 3x4 array = an array with 3 rows and 4 columns

Defining an initialized 2-dim. array:

Is very similar to the syntax used to define an initialized one-dimensional array
The initial value are separated by nested { ... }

Example:

public class TwoDimArray1 { public static void main(String[] args) { double[][] a = { { 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 }, // *** Defining an { 2.0, 5.0, 1.0, 7.0 }, // *** initialized { 4.0, 1.0, 2.0, 8.0 } // *** 2-dim. array }; ****************************************** Ignore the rest of the program for now... ****************************************** int i, j; // Array indices /* ----------------- Print 2-dim array a -------------------- */ // Print elements in row i for ( i = 0 ; i < a.length ; i++ ) { // Print column j in row i for ( j = 0 ; j < a[i].length ; j++ ) { System.out.print( a[i][j] + " " ); } System.out.println(); } } }

Using elements of a 2-dimensional array

In general, using an n-dimensional array proceeds as follows:

Each array element of a n-dimensional array is a ordinary variable
(This is true for a one-dimensional array and it is equally true for a two-dimensional array).
An array element of a n-dimensional array consists of:

Therefore, an element of a two-dimensional array is specified as:
Example: (assuming that a is a reference variable to a 2-dimensional array)

Traversing (visiting) all elements in a 2-dimensional array: rectanglar 2-dim. arrays

If the 2-dim. array is retangular, and we know that:

m = # rows n = # columns

Then we can use the following nest for-loop to visit all elements:

for ( int i = 0; i < m; i++ ) { // variable i runs through all rows in the array for ( int j = 0; j < n; j++ ) { Use array element a[i][j] // Visit a[i][j] } }

If rows have different number of elements, we need to find out the number of elements in each row individually.
This is discussed next.

Traversing (visiting) all elements in a 2-dimensional array: non-rectanglar 2-dim. arrays

Previously discussed: traversing all elements in a 1-dimensional array

(Code segment)

double[] a; a = new double[ anyVlaue ]; for ( i = 0; i < a.length; i++ ) { visit (= use) array element a[i] }

Traversing all elements in a 2-dimensional array in Java is usually done in the following manner:
Pseudo code:
Note:
$64,000 question:

Information on the number of columns of a 2-dimensional array:

In Java:
In other words: a 2-dimensional array in Java is made up with many rows of 1-dimensional arrays
Illustrated:

Therefore:

The variable a[i].length contains the number of columns in row i.
(Because if x is an array, then x.length is the number of elements in the array)

We can now refine the psuedo code to visit all elements in a 2-dimensional array:

for ( each row index i = 0, 1, 2, .... a.length ) { visit (= use) all array elements in row i }

Refined pseudo code:

for ( each row index i = 0, 1, 2, .... a.length ) { for ( each column index j = 0, 1, 2, ...., a[i].length ) { visit (= use) a[i][j] } }

Java program that prints the elements in a 2-dim. array:

public class TwoDimArray1 { public static void main(String[] args) { double[][] a = { { 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 }, { 2.0, 5.0, 1.0, 7.0 }, { 4.0, 1.0, 2.0, 8.0 } }; int i, j; // Array indices /* ----------------- Print 2-dim array a -------------------- */ // Print elemenst in row i for ( i = 0 ; i < a.length ; i++ ) { // Print element j in row i for ( j = 0 ; j < a[i].length ; j++ ) { System.out.print( a[i][j] + " " ); } System.out.println(); } } }

Example Program: (Demo above code)
- Prog file: click here
How to run the program: