Does c# have a VB.NET-equivalent for shorthand array declaration like {"string1","string2"}?

Question

In VB.NET, you can instantiate and immediately use an array like this:

Dim b as Boolean = {"string1", "string2"}.Contains("string1")

In c#, however, it appears you have to do this:

bool b = new string[] { "string1", "string2" }.Contains("string1");

Does c# have equivalent shorthand syntax that uses type inference to determine the type of array without it having to be explicitly declared?

Answer 1

Implicitly typed arrays do not have to include their type, provided it can be inferred:

bool b = new [] { "string1", "string2" }.Contains("string1");

Answer 2

It called Implicitly Typed Arrays

You can create an implicitly-typed array in which the type of the array instance is inferred from the elements specified in the array initializer. The rules for any implicitly-typed variable also apply to implicitly-typed arrays.

static void Main()
    {
        var a = new[] { 1, 10, 100, 1000 }; // int[] 
        var b = new[] { "hello", null, "world" }; // string[] 
    }

You can use it also for jagged array.