Question: I am getting a bug when I use a text\_area in my rails app. The box takes line breaks, and makes them indentation. Here is a screen shot, any idea where these indentations are coming from?

<https://files.getdropbox.com/u/312568/Picture%2031.png>

Answer: 
Why No LINQ? For people coming here without the same restriction, here are three ways to do this, the bottom two both using LINQ.

**C#**

```cs
List<object> colValues = new List<object>();

//for loop
foreach (DataRow row in dt.Rows) {
    colValues.Add(row["ColumnName"]);
}

//LINQ Query Syntax
colValues = (from DataRow row in dt.Rows select row["ColumnName"]).ToList();

//LINQ Method Syntax
colValues = dt.AsEnumerable().Select(r => r["ColumnName"]).ToList();

```

**VB**

```vb
Dim colValues As New List(Of Object)

'for loop
For Each row As DataRow In dt.Rows
    colValues.Add(row("ColumnName"))
Next

'LINQ Query Syntax
colValues = (From row As DataRow In dt.Rows Select row("ColumnName")).ToList

'LINQ Method Syntax
colValues = dt.Rows.AsEnumerable.Select(Function(r) r("ColumnName")).ToList

```

To use the `AsEnumerable` method on a `DataTable`, you'll have to have a Reference to System.Data.DataSetExtensions which add the [LINQ extension methods](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.linq.enumerable.aspx). Otherwise, you can just cast the `Rows` property of the `DataTable` as type `DataRow` (you don't have to do this with the Query syntax because it automatically casts for you).
In addition to Utaal's answer, you can possibly populate a new DataTable object with the results of a query that selects only one column from your original data source, assuming it's an RDBMS. This has the advantage of letting you specify things that are easy to express in code but easy to express in SQL like `DISTINCT` queries.