So I'm trying to create a path in C#. I use Environment.Machinename and store it a variable serverName. Then I create another string variable and have some other path extension in there. Here is my code so far:
string serverName = Environment.MachineName;
string folderName = "\\AlarmLogger";
No matter what I do I can't seem to obtain only one backslash prior to AlarmLogger. Any ideas how I can specify a path in C#?
Edit: I'm wondering if my code doesn't seem to want to paste correctly. Anyways when i paste it I only see one backslash but my code has two. Because of the escape character sequence. But something like
string test = #"\\" + serverName + folderName
doesn't seem to want to work for me.
Use Path.Combine(serverName, folderName). Path.Combine is always a better solution than concating it on your own.
You cannot use Path.Combine for this as suggested. The reason is that it ignores static variables if the first entry is static, e.g. Environment.MachineName (see MSDN docs for details). If you use Path.Combine(servername, foldername) you will get "\AlarmLogger". Plus, it parses double slashs to single slashes.
That being said, you can do something like the following (among other ways):
string serverName = Environment.MachineName;
string folderName = "\\\\AlarmLogger"; //this gives alarmlogger two leading slashes
string test = #"\\" + serverName + folderName.Substring(1,folderName.Length-1); //this removes one of the two leading slashes
You could use a slew of ways to remove the leading slash besides substring.
It's not clear what you are trying to do or what is going wrong.
If you are having trouble including backslashes in your strings, they need to be escaped with an extra backslash:
string twoBackslashes = "\\\\";
Or you can do it like this:
string twoBackslashes = #"\\";
If you are trying to manipulate paths, look at the System.IO.Path class. In particular, Path.Combine can be useful.
Related
I want to create a data file, but before writing to the final file I want to drop it in a temporary location to avoid user confussion. As an example, I could begin with test.txt and want to have test.txt.tmp. The names could include a path, but the files may not necesarily exist (so this question is purely about string manipulation).
The closest I have been is to use Path.ChangeExtension:
string original = "test.txt";
string temp = Path.ChangeExtension(original, "tmp");
But that returns test.tmp instead. So my question is if there is a built-in method to achieve that "dual-extension" file name? I could always use brain-dead string concatenation, but I'm looking for a more safe and tested method.
Avoiding pitfalls is a great idea for things like Path.Combine, e.g. because you don't want to be bothered checking if there is no missing \ character.
But there are no pitfalls here.
If your original filename is as you expect it to be, then string concatenation will work.
If your original file name is not as you expect it to be, then the issue lies with whoever supplied you a faulty filename. "Shit goes in, shit comes out" is not really something your internal logic should worry about. An algorithm can only be as correct as the information that it receives.
String concatenation is perfectly acceptable here. There is no premade method here because there is no real pitfall to simply concatenating the strings.
Special shout out to AlessandroD'Andria's suggestion:
Path.ChangeExtension(original, Path.GetExtension(original) + ".tmp");
Technically, it employs Path logic and therefore fits with your criteria. I genuinely like the cleverness of following your expectations.
However, there is simply no merit to doing so. By its very nature an extension is defined as being "the last part of the filename".
Whether you do a direct string concatenation, or instead do this:
chop the string into two pieces (filename, extension)
append something to the last piece (extension + temp extension)
paste everything together again
The end result will always be the same. The chopping of the string is unnecessary work.
Why can't you append that string just like
if(!string.IsNullOrEmpty(Path.GetExtension(original)){
original+= ".tmp";
}
You should use temp file and rename the extension.
string path = Path.GetTempFileName();
// some logic on the file then rename the file and move it when you need it
string fileName = Path.GetFileName(path);
File.Move(path, path.Replace(fileName, "test.txt"));
If you would use temp file, you can use Path.GetTempFileName();
string tempFileName = Path.GetTempFileName();
Or in your case:
string original = "test.txt";
string temp = "test.txt" + ".tmp";
I am getting illegal characters in the path by using the below codes:
string fileNameExisting = Application.StartupPath + "\\CodesLocation\\Template.pdf";
PdfReader templateFile = new PdfReader(fileNameExisting);
I tested a few variations:
string fileNameExisting = #Application.StartupPath + "\CodesLocation\Template.pdf";
PdfReader templateFile = new PdfReader(fileNameExisting);
But it is still getting the same illegal error.
Can anyone help me see if my code if wrong?
Thanks.
I suggest using the appropriate way to join paths in .net:
Path.Combine
So
Path.Combine(Application.StartupPath, "CodesLocation","Template.pdf");
An at in front of a string literal turns off \ escaping (in front of a variable it explicitly marks a variable as not a keyword):
Path.Combine(Application.StartupPath, #"CodesLocation\Template.pdf");
And Path.Combine is the state of the art way to concatenate paths (platform independent, takes care of additional slashed).
You should best use
Path.Combine(Application.StartupPath, "CodesLocation\\Template.pdf").
Other than that check if Application.StartupPath ends with \.
I have a path that is named defaultPath I want to add it into this verbatim string literal but can quite get the quotes around it.
#"""C:\Mavro\MavBridge\Server\MavBridgeService.exe"" /service /data ""..\Data"""
I was trying to add +defaultPath to replace Data. So lets say I have a folder name Data.Apple I want the output to be
"C:\Mavro\MavBridge\Server\MavBridgeService.exe" /service /data "..\Data.Apple"
But when I have been doing it for the past half hour I have been getting
"C:\Mavro\MavBridge\Server\MavBridgeService.exe" /service /data "..\"Data.Apple
or
"C:\Mavro\MavBridge\Server\MavBridgeService.exe" /service /data "..\" + defaultPath
Do it like this (preferred):
string.Format(#"""C:\Mavro\MavBridge\Server\MavBridgeService.exe"" /service /data ""..\{0}""", defaultPath);
Or like this:
#"""C:\Mavro\MavBridge\Server\MavBridgeService.exe"" /service /data ""..\" + defaultPath + "\"";
The first one uses string.Format, which basically replaces the {0} in the first parameter with the value in the second parameter and returns the result.
The second one uses classical string concatenation and what I did there was to remove the double quotes after the last backslash (""..\ instead of ""..\""), because you didn't want the quotes after the backslash. You wanted the quotes after defaultPath. And that's what this code does: It appends defaultPath (" + defaultPath) and appends the closing quote afterwards (+ "\"").
So if you would like to take advantage of the string interpolation with c# 6 you could also do
var randomText = "insert something";
var yourString = $#"A bunch of text in here
that is on seperate lines
but you want to {randomText }";
Use string.Format to insert the variable between the quotes:
string path = "Data.Apple";
string verbatim = string.Format(#"""C:\Mavro\MavBridge\Server\MavBridgeService.exe"" /service /data ""{0}""", path);
MessageBox.Show(verbatim);
It makes it easier to read and to implement, you can replace other portions of the path with variable sections in a similar manner.
If you try to just append the "defaultPath" variable to the end, it will never work correctly, as you've already added the closing ".
In my project, I need to read some URLs and store the starting tags into some variables, but the project won't compile. May be, its because I am not using the assignment to the string correctly. Following is what i tried and got the compile error
string startTag = "<span id="productLayoutForm:OurPrice" class="pdp_details_hs18Price" itemprop="price">";
string anotherStartTag = "<span class="price final-price our fksk-our" id="fk-mprod-our-id">Rs.<span class="small-font">"
Please tell, what should be the correct code for above and where can I learn how to store such HTMLs into string or how to use string for such puposes.
You need to "escape" the quotes in your strings, for example:
string startTag = "<span id=\"productLayoutForm:OurPrice\" class=\"pdp_details_hs18Price\" itemprop=\"price\">";
The \ before the quotes that are inside the string tells the C# compiler that the quotes are part of the string and not the beginning/end of the string.
The " sign indicates the start and end of a string.so to use it in the middle of a string you have to escape it, do that by setting a backslash in front of it.. Like this: \"
I need to escape chars in a string I have, which content is C:\\blablabla\blabla\\bla\\SQL.exe to C:\blablabla\blabla\bla\SQL.exe so I could throw a process based on this SQL.exe file.
I tried with Mystring.Replace("\\", #"\"); and Mystring.Replace(#"\\", #"\"); but none worked.
How could I do this?
EDITED: Corrected type in string.
I very strongly suspect that you are looking this input string in the Visual Studio debugger and fooling yourself that there are actually 2 \ whereas in reality there aren't. That's the reason why attempting to replace \\ with \ doesn't do anything because in the original string there is no occurrence of \\. And since you are looking the output once again in the debugger, you are once again fooling yourself that there are 2 \.
Visual Studio debugger has this tendency to escape strings. Log it to a file or print to the console and you will see that there is a single \ in your input string and you don't need to replace anything.
It looks like you're trying to replace double backslash (#"\\") in a string with single backslash (#"\"). If so try the following
Mystring = Mystring.Replace(#"\\", #"\");
Note: Are you sure that the string even contains double backslashes? Certain environments will print out a single backslash as a double (debugger for example). Your comment mentioned my approach didn't work. That's a flag that there's not actually a double backslash in your string (else it would work).
The # character specifies a string as a verbatim literal string, but that is when constructing a string. If you use Mystring.Replace("\\", #"\") then nothing will be replaced, essentially, as the two strings are the same.
If you want a string without the escape characters, then either define it with:
string path = #"C:\Some\Directory\And\File.txt";
Or you can replace the \\ with / like so:
path = path.Replace('\\', '/');
It is worth noting, as mentioned by Darin Dimitrov, that the string containing two \ characters is likely just the display of the string (i.e. when using the debugger) and not the actual value of the string.
i think OP is asking how to escape \\ in File Path, if that in the case, as OP is not mentioning where he's trying to use this. so i'm putting a guess.
Then You use Path.Combine() method to get the FileName path.
Path.Combine() Documentation
where are you looking at this output? because it could be the string is what you expect, but viewing the value through the debugger, output window, etc. is escaping the slash
Use something like:
myStr = myStr.Replace(#"\\", #"\");
Make sure you assign the result of Replace method to myStr. Otherwise it goes into void ;)
Try adding "|DataDirectory|\MyFile.xyz" where you need it. It works with connection strings it might work with something else (I haven't really tried to apply it to something else).
I didn't understand what you want, if you just want do get the file name (escape directory chars) you can try:
string fileName = Path.GetFileName(YourString)
Noloman.... when you concatenate are you perhaps missing a "\" when concatenating the directory.. I am assuming that you are trying to join directory + some sub directory.. #noloman keep in mind that in C# "c:\Temp" is written like this "c:\Temp" or #"c:\Temp" one is Literal the other is how to represent a "\" in the legacy way of coding because the "\" is an escape Char and when dealing with directorys we represent all paths and sub paths with "\"
so perhaps by you replacing the "\" you are truly messing up your own expected process
Mystring = Mystring.Replace(#"\\", #"\");
should work for you unless you are truly meaning to do
Mystring = Mystring.Replace(#"\", "\"); which if you believe that you are expecting a "\" to be used to build the directory.. then of course it will not work.. because you have just in essense replaced the backslash with a return char.. I hope that this makes sense to you..
System.IO.Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(); you are using is also an Issue.. SQL Server is not that application thats running the code.. it's your .NET application so you need to either put the location of the SQL Server into a variable, app.config, web.config ect... please edit your question and paste the code that you are using to do what it is that you want to do inregards to the SQL Server Code.. you would probably want to look at the Are you wanting to do something like Process.Start(....) meaning the file name..?