Returning the first few items from an Array list or IEnumerable collection, like T-Sql top()

I needed to bind the first 5 items in a List<T> to a repeater. Having recently discovered the .Distinct() extension, I had a look through the other methods attached to my List<T> and found .Take(int)

Basic example of using .Take()

string[] allAnimals = 
            "cat,dog,mouse,chicken,cat,dog,elephant,mouse".Split(",".ToCharArray());

foreach (string animal in allAnimals.Take(5))
{
    Console.WriteLine(animal);
}
Console.ReadLine();

The output

Only the first 5.

cat
dog
mouse
chicken
cat

Example of using .Take() when binding an IEnumerable object to a repeater

HistoricCategoriesRepeater.DataSource = allAnimals.Take(5);
HistoricCategoriesRepeater.DataBind();

You may also like to take a look at the .Skip(int) method. It can be used in conjunction with .Take() to help you with paging object data.