string.IsNullOrEmpty(string) vs. string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(string)

Problem

Is a string used. When there is a string, using IsNullOrEmpty(string) to check it is considered bad practice. In.NET 4.0 and later, what does IsNullOrWhiteSpace(string) mean?

Asked by eomeroff

Solution #1

Choosing the most appropriate one is the best practice.

Reference : Here

Reference : Here

Examine the source code (Reference Source .NET Framework 4.6.2)

IsNullorEmpty

[Pure]
public static bool IsNullOrEmpty(String value) {
    return (value == null || value.Length == 0);
}

IsNullOrWhiteSpace

[Pure]
public static bool IsNullOrWhiteSpace(String value) {
    if (value == null) return true;

    for(int i = 0; i < value.Length; i++) {
        if(!Char.IsWhiteSpace(value[i])) return false;
    }

    return true;
}

Examples

string nullString = null;
string emptyString = "";
string whitespaceString = "    ";
string nonEmptyString = "abc123";

bool result;

result = String.IsNullOrEmpty(nullString);            // true
result = String.IsNullOrEmpty(emptyString);           // true
result = String.IsNullOrEmpty(whitespaceString);      // false
result = String.IsNullOrEmpty(nonEmptyString);        // false

result = String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(nullString);       // true
result = String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(emptyString);      // true
result = String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(whitespaceString); // true
result = String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(nonEmptyString);   // false

Answered by CharithJ

Solution #2

Differences in practice include:

string testString = "";
Console.WriteLine(string.Format("IsNullOrEmpty : {0}", string.IsNullOrEmpty(testString)));
Console.WriteLine(string.Format("IsNullOrWhiteSpace : {0}", string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(testString)));
Console.ReadKey();

Result :
IsNullOrEmpty : True
IsNullOrWhiteSpace : True

**************************************************************
string testString = " MDS   ";

IsNullOrEmpty : False
IsNullOrWhiteSpace : False

**************************************************************
string testString = "   ";

IsNullOrEmpty : False
IsNullOrWhiteSpace : True

**************************************************************
string testString = string.Empty;

IsNullOrEmpty : True
IsNullOrWhiteSpace : True

**************************************************************
string testString = null;

IsNullOrEmpty : True
IsNullOrWhiteSpace : True

Answered by Mohammad Dayyan

Solution #3

They serve diverse purposes. You should determine what you require based on your circumstances.

I don’t think that using any of them is a bad idea. IsNullOrEmpty() is usually sufficient. However, you have the option:)

Answered by Ivan Danilov

Solution #4

Here is the actual implementation of both methods ( decompiled using dotPeek)

[TargetedPatchingOptOut("Performance critical to inline across NGen image boundaries")]
    public static bool IsNullOrEmpty(string value)
    {
      if (value != null)
        return value.Length == 0;
      else
        return true;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Indicates whether a specified string is null, empty, or consists only of white-space characters.
    /// </summary>
    /// 
    /// <returns>
    /// true if the <paramref name="value"/> parameter is null or <see cref="F:System.String.Empty"/>, or if <paramref name="value"/> consists exclusively of white-space characters.
    /// </returns>
    /// <param name="value">The string to test.</param>
    public static bool IsNullOrWhiteSpace(string value)
    {
      if (value == null)
        return true;
      for (int index = 0; index < value.Length; ++index)
      {
        if (!char.IsWhiteSpace(value[index]))
          return false;
      }
      return true;
    }

Answered by aked

Solution #5

IsNullOrEmpty() does not contain white space, however IsNullOrWhiteSpace() does!

IsNullOrEmpty() If the string contains the following characters: -Null -Empty

IsNullOrWhiteSpace() If the string is: -Null -Empty -Only White Spaces

Answered by Hk Shambesh

Post is based on https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6976597/string-isnulloremptystring-vs-string-isnullorwhitespacestring