How to create a shallow copy of SortedList Object in C#?

The shallow copy of a SortedList object in C# creates a new SortedList instance with the same key-value pairs as the original, but both collections share references to the same objects. This is accomplished using the Clone() method.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for creating a shallow copy of SortedList −

SortedList clonedList = (SortedList)originalList.Clone();

What is a Shallow Copy?

A shallow copy creates a new collection object, but the elements inside both the original and copied collections point to the same memory locations. For value types like strings and integers, this behaves like a deep copy. For reference types (objects), changes to the object's properties will be reflected in both collections.

Using Clone() Method

Example

using System;
using System.Collections;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main(string[] args) {
      SortedList list = new SortedList();
      list.Add("A", "Jacob");
      list.Add("B", "Sam");
      list.Add("C", "Tom");
      list.Add("D", "John");
      list.Add("E", "Tim");
      
      Console.WriteLine("Original SortedList elements:");
      foreach(DictionaryEntry d in list) {
         Console.WriteLine(d.Key + " " + d.Value);
      }
      
      SortedList list2 = (SortedList)list.Clone();
      Console.WriteLine("\nCloned SortedList elements:");
      foreach(DictionaryEntry d in list2) {
         Console.WriteLine(d.Key + " " + d.Value);
      }
      
      Console.WriteLine("\nAre they the same reference? " + (list == list2));
      Console.WriteLine("Do they have the same content? " + (list.Count == list2.Count));
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Original SortedList elements:
A Jacob
B Sam
C Tom
D John
E Tim

Cloned SortedList elements:
A Jacob
B Sam
C Tom
D John
E Tim

Are they the same reference? False
Do they have the same content? True

Demonstrating Shallow Copy Behavior

Example

using System;
using System.Collections;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main(string[] args) {
      SortedList departments = new SortedList();
      departments.Add("One", "IT");
      departments.Add("Two", "Operations");
      departments.Add("Three", "Marketing");
      departments.Add("Four", "Finance");
      
      Console.WriteLine("Original SortedList:");
      foreach(DictionaryEntry d in departments) {
         Console.WriteLine(d.Key + " " + d.Value);
      }
      
      SortedList clonedDepartments = (SortedList)departments.Clone();
      Console.WriteLine("\nCloned SortedList:");
      foreach(DictionaryEntry d in clonedDepartments) {
         Console.WriteLine(d.Key + " " + d.Value);
      }
      
      // Modify original - clone remains unchanged
      departments["One"] = "Information Technology";
      Console.WriteLine("\nAfter modifying original:");
      Console.WriteLine("Original 'One': " + departments["One"]);
      Console.WriteLine("Cloned 'One': " + clonedDepartments["One"]);
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Original SortedList:
Four Finance
One IT
Three Marketing
Two Operations

Cloned SortedList:
Four Finance
One IT
Three Marketing
Two Operations

After modifying original:
Original 'One': Information Technology
Cloned 'One': IT

Key Characteristics of Shallow Copy

Conclusion

The Clone()