How to modify or delete items from an enumerable collection while iterating through it in C#

Question

I have to delete some rows from a data table. I've heard that it is not ok to change a collection while iterating through it. So instead of a for loop in which I check if a row meets the demands for deletion and then mark it as deleted, I should first iterate through the data table and add all of the rows in a list, then iterate through the list and mark the rows for deletions. What are the reasons for this, and what alternatives do I have (instead of using the rows list I mean)?.

question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/308466/how-to-modify-or-delete-items-from-an-enumerable-collection-while-iterating-thro

Answer 1

You can remove elements from a collection if you use a simple for loop.

Take a look at this example:

        var l = new List<int>();

        l.Add(0);
        l.Add(1);
        l.Add(2);
        l.Add(3);
        l.Add(4);
        l.Add(5);
        l.Add(6);

        for (int i = 0; i < l.Count; i++)
        {
            if (l[i] % 2 == 0)
            {
                l.RemoveAt(i);
                i--;
            }
        }

        foreach (var i in l)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(i);
        }