.NET Framework 4.0: Check If String Is Empty or Null Using String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace Method

There is a new class library method in .NET town. You can now easily check whether a specified string is a null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic), empty, or consists only of white-space characters by using String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace Method. This new method is similar to the following code but is far more superior in terms of performance.

VB.NET

Return String.IsNullOrEmpty(value) OrElse value.Trim().Length = 0

C#

return String.IsNullOrEmpty(value) || value.Trim().Length == 0;

Here are sample codes to use the new method:

VB.NET

Module Module1

    Sub Main()
        Dim samples() As String = {"Fryan", Nothing, String.Empty}
        For Each sample As String In samples
            Console.WriteLine(String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(sample))
        Next
        Console.ReadKey()
    End Sub

End Module

C#

    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            string[] samples = { "fryan", null, String.Empty };
            foreach (string sample in samples)
                Console.WriteLine(String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(sample));
            Console.ReadKey();
        }
        
    }

The above code should display a result of: False, True, True.

To stay up-to-date on Coding Tips & Tricks, subscribe now.