Linq Query Group By and Selecting First Items

Question

I have a String array kinda like this:

// icon, category, tool String[,] subButtonData = new String[,] {     {"graphics/gui/brushsizeplus_icon", "Draw", "DrawBrushPlus"},     {"graphics/gui/brushsizeminus_icon", "Draw", "DrawBrushMinus"},     {"graphics/gui/freedraw_icon", "Draw", "DrawFree"},     {"graphics/gui/linedraw_icon", "Draw", "DrawLine"},     {"graphics/gui/rectangledraw_icon", "Draw", "DrawRectangle"},     {"graphics/gui/ellipsedraw_icon", "Draw", "DrawEllipse"},     {"graphics/gui/brushsizeplus_icon", "Brusher", "BrusherBrushPlus"},     {"graphics/gui/brushsizeminus_icon", "Brusher", "BrusherBrushMinus"},     {"graphics/gui/brushsizeplus_icon", "Text", "TextBrushPlus"},     {"graphics/gui/brushsizeminus_icon", "Text", "TextBrushMinus"}, }; 

Then I populate a List<Button> with my Button Type named mainButtons

This is how I query for grouping for Category:

var categories = from b in mainButtons                  group b by b.category into g                  select new { Category = g.Key, Buttons = g }; 

How can I select the first item of each group in my main List? (without iterating each and adding to another List?)

Answer 1

var result = list.GroupBy(x => x.Category).Select(x => x.First())