what is deep copy and shallow copy In C#

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In C#, as in other programming languages, you may encounter the terms "deep copy" and "shallow copy" when working with objects and data structures. These two concepts refer to the different ways in which data can be copied from one variable to another. Let's take a closer look at what deep copy and shallow copy mean in C#, and when to use each one.

Shallow Copy

A shallow copy in C# creates a new object but does not create new copies of the objects within the original object. Instead, the new object contains references to the objects in the original object. Therefore, changes made to the original object will also affect the new object, and vice versa.

Here's an example to illustrate shallow copy in C#:

int[] originalArray = {1, 2, 3}; int[] newArray = (int[])originalArray.Clone(); // modify the original array originalArray[0] = 5; // both the original and new arrays have changed Console.WriteLine(string.Join(",", originalArray)); // 5,2,3 Console.WriteLine(string.Join(",", newArray)); // 1,2,3

In the example above, originalArray is an array of integers. We make a shallow copy of it using the Clone() method and casting the result to the array type, and store it in newArray. Then, we modify the first element of originalArray. As a result, both originalArray and newArray are updated because they both refer to the same underlying objects.

Deep Copy

A deep copy in C# creates a new object and recursively creates new copies of the objects within the original object. In other words, it creates a completely independent copy of the original object, so changes made to the original object will not affect the new object, and vice versa.

Here's an example to illustrate deep copy in C#:

using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; class Person { public string Name; public List<string> Hobbies; } class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { var originalPerson = new Person() { Name = "John", Hobbies = new List<string>() { "reading", "running" } }; var newPerson = new Person() { Name = originalPerson.Name, Hobbies = new List<string>(originalPerson.Hobbies) }; // modify the original person originalPerson.Name = "Jane"; originalPerson.Hobbies.Add("swimming"); // only the original person has changed, the new person remains unchanged Console.WriteLine(originalPerson.Name); // Jane Console.WriteLine(string.Join(",", originalPerson.Hobbies)); // reading,running,swimming Console.WriteLine(newPerson.Name); // John Console.WriteLine(string.Join(",", newPerson.Hobbies)); // reading,running } }

In the example above, we define a Person class with a name and a list of hobbies. We create a new instance of Person called original Person and initialize its name and hobbies. Then, we create a new instance of Person called newPerson and initialize its name to originalPerson.Name and its hobbies to a new list created from originalPerson.Hobbies. This creates a deep copy of original Person because the new list created from originalPerson.Hobbies is a new object.

Then, we modify the name and hobbies of original Person. As a result, only original Person is updated, and new Person remains unchanged.

When to Use Shallow Copy and Deep Copy

Which one you use depends