public static class MultiDimensionalArrayExtensions

{

    /// <summary>

    ///   Orders the two dimensional array by the provided key in the key selector.

    /// </summary>

    /// <typeparam name = "T">The type of the source two-dimensional array.</typeparam>

    /// <param name = "source">The source two-dimensional array.</param>

    /// <param name = "keySelector">The selector to retrieve the column to sort on.</param>

    /// <returns>A new two dimensional array sorted on the key.</returns>

    public static T[, ] OrderBy<T>(this T[, ] source, Func<T[], T> keySelector)

    {

        return source.ConvertToSingleDimension().OrderBy(keySelector).ConvertToMultiDimensional();

    }

​

    /// <summary>

    ///   Orders the two dimensional array by the provided key in the key selector in descending order.

    /// </summary>

    /// <typeparam name = "T">The type of the source two-dimensional array.</typeparam>

    /// <param name = "source">The source two-dimensional array.</param>

    /// <param name = "keySelector">The selector to retrieve the column to sort on.</param>

    /// <returns>A new two dimensional array sorted on the key.</returns>

    public static T[, ] OrderByDescending<T>(this T[, ] source, Func<T[], T> keySelector)

    {

        return source.ConvertToSingleDimension().OrderByDescending(keySelector).ConvertToMultiDimensional();

    }

​

    /// <summary>

    ///   Converts a two dimensional array to single dimensional array.

    /// </summary>

    /// <typeparam name = "T">The type of the two dimensional array.</typeparam>

    /// <param name = "source">The source two dimensional array.</param>

    /// <returns>The repackaged two dimensional array as a single dimension based on rows.</returns>

    private static IEnumerable<T[]> ConvertToSingleDimension<T>(this T[, ] source)

    {

        T[] arRow;

        for (int row = 0; row < source.GetLength(0); ++row)

        {

            arRow = new T[source.GetLength(1)];

            for (int col = 0; col < source.GetLength(1); ++col)

                arRow[col] = source[row, col];

            yield return arRow;

        }

    }

​

    /// <summary>

    ///   Converts a collection of rows from a two dimensional array back into a two dimensional array.

    /// </summary>

    /// <typeparam name = "T">The type of the two dimensional array.</typeparam>

    /// <param name = "source">The source collection of rows to convert.</param>

    /// <returns>The two dimensional array.</returns>

    private static T[, ] ConvertToMultiDimensional<T>(this IEnumerable<T[]> source)

    {

        T[, ] twoDimensional;

        T[][] arrayOfArray;

        int numberofColumns;

        arrayOfArray = source.ToArray();

        numberofColumns = (arrayOfArray.Length > 0) ? arrayOfArray[0].Length : 0;

        twoDimensional = new T[arrayOfArray.Length, numberofColumns];

        for (int row = 0; row < arrayOfArray.GetLength(0); ++row)

            for (int col = 0; col < numberofColumns; ++col)

                twoDimensional[row, col] = arrayOfArray[row][col];

        return twoDimensional;

    }

}