Useful mini patterns (not design patterns)

Question

My most used mini pattern is:

VideoLookup = new ArrayList  { new ArrayList { buttonVideo1, "Video01.flv" },
                               new ArrayList { buttonVideo2, "Video02.flv" },
                               new ArrayList { buttonVideo3, "Video03.flv" }, 
                               new ArrayList { buttonVideo4, "Video04.flv" },
                               new ArrayList { buttonVideo4, "Video04.flv" }
                             };

This means that rather than a switch statement with a case for each button I can instead just compare the button that was clicked with each item in the ArrayList. Then when I've found a match I launch the correct file (although the action that's the 2nd part the "lookup" could be a delegate or anything else).

The main benefit is that I don't have the problem of remembering to add all the correct code for each switch statement case, I just add a new item to the lookup ArrayList.

(Yes I know using an ArrayList isn't the best way to go, but it's old code. And I know that looping through an array each time isn't as efficient as using a switch statement, but this code isn't in a tight loop)

Does anyone else have any mini-patterns they use that save time/effort or make code more readable? They don't have to just be GUI related.

Update: Don't copy this code, I knew it was bad, but I didn't realise how bad. Use something like this instead.

Hashtable PlayerLookup = new Hashtable();
PlayerLookup.Add(buttonVideo1, "Video01.flv");
PlayerLookup.Add(buttonVideo2, "Video02.flv");
PlayerLookup.Add(buttonVideo3, "Video03.flv");
PlayerLookup.Add(buttonVideo4, "Video04.flv");

string fileName = PlayerLookup[currentButton].ToString();            

Answer 1

please please please omg use this version.

VideoLookup = new Dictionary<Button, string> {
    { buttonVideo1, "Video01.flv" },
    { buttonVideo2, "Video02.flv" },
    { buttonVideo3, "Video03.flv" }, 
    { buttonVideo4, "Video04.flv" },
    { buttonVideo4, "Video04.flv" }
};