Best syntax to create multi-line string

Question

Hi!

What's the best way to create multi-line string in C#?

I know the following methods:

Using StringBuilder

var result = new StringBuilder().AppendLine("one").AppenLine("two").ToString()

looks too verbose.

Using @

      var result = @"one
two"

looks ugly and badly formatted.

Do you know better ways?

Answer 1

What about this?

var result = "one\ntwo";

If you're fussy about OS-specific line endings, use Format:

var result = String.Format("one{0}two", Environment.NewLine);

(Well, “fussy” isn’t the right word: when dealing with text files, OS-specific line endings are often desired or even necessary, when dealing with legacy software.)

Answer 2

Sometimes you need more than one line. I use Environment.NewLine but I placed it in a method to multiply it. :)

    private string newLines(int multiplier)
    {
        StringBuilder newlines = new StringBuilder();
        for (int i = 0; i < multiplier; i++)
            newlines.Append(Environment.NewLine);
        return newlines.ToString();
    }

Answer 3

"Best" is a very very open ended point.

Are you after :

• Performance of the code
• Speed the coder can write it
• Ability for another coder to understand it easily
• Ability for another coder to modify it easily

All of those make a big difference as to the "best" way of doing something.

Answer 4

What about this:

var result = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, new string[]{ 
    "one",
    "two" 
});

It's a bit painful and possibly an overkill, but it gives the possibility to preserve the lines separation in your code.
To improve things a little, you could use an helper method:

static string MultiLine(params string[] args) {
    return string.Join(Environment.NewLine, args);
}

static void Main(string[] args) {
    var result = MultiLine( 
        "one",
        "two" 
    );
}

Answer 5

I'd say it depends on what You need...

But to simplify it I would go with:

var s = new StringBuilder();
s.Append("one");
s.Append("two");
s.ToString();

But since we don't know what You need it for. It's pretty difficult to give better hints

Answer 6

You should not define large strings in your source code. You should define it in an external text file:

string s = File.OpenText("myfile.txt").ReadToEnd();

Answer 7

Riffing off of what @codymanix said, you could place the long multiline string in a resource file. This can be easier for certain deployment scenarios since the text "file" will be included in your DLL / EXE.

Answer 8

Ehm, how about:

string s = 
  "abc\n" + 
  "def\n" ;