Foreach Loop

When you have a collection of items — an array, a list, or anything iterable — and you want to do something with each item, foreach is your friend. No counters, no index variables, just the item.

The foreach Loop

foreach (var item in collection) — read that aloud: "for each item in the collection, do this." Clean and simple.

using System;

class Program {
  static void Main() {
    string[] fruits = { "Apple", "Banana", "Cherry" };
    foreach (string fruit in fruits) {
      Console.WriteLine(fruit);
    }
  }
}
    

Iterating Arrays and Collections

Works on arrays, List, Dictionary, and anything that implements IEnumerable. You don't need to know the length — foreach figures it out.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

class Program {
  static void Main() {
    List numbers = new List { 10, 20, 30, 40 };
    foreach (int num in numbers) {
      Console.WriteLine(num);
    }
  }
}
    

Read-Only Iteration

You can't modify the collection inside a foreach — no adding, no removing items. But you can read and use each item however you like.

using System;

class Program {
  static void Main() {
    int[] nums = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 };
    int sum = 0;
    foreach (int n in nums) {
      sum += n;
    }
    Console.WriteLine("Sum: " + sum);
  }
}
    

foreach with var

Use var instead of the explicit type — C# infers the type from the collection. Saves typing and keeps code cleaner.

using System;

class Program {
  static void Main() {
    double[] prices = { 9.99, 15.49, 3.99 };
    foreach (var price in prices) {
      Console.WriteLine("$" + price);
    }
  }
}