String.Equals Method

Definition

Determines whether two String objects have the same value.

Overloads

Equals(Object)

Determines whether this instance and a specified object, which must also be a String object, have the same value.

Equals(String)

Determines whether this instance and another specified String object have the same value.

Equals(String, String)

Determines whether two specified String objects have the same value.

Equals(String, StringComparison)

Determines whether this string and a specified String object have the same value. A parameter specifies the culture, case, and sort rules used in the comparison.

Equals(String, String, StringComparison)

Determines whether two specified String objects have the same value. A parameter specifies the culture, case, and sort rules used in the comparison.

Equals(Object)

Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs

Determines whether this instance and a specified object, which must also be a String object, have the same value.

public override bool Equals (object obj);
public override bool Equals (object? obj);

Parameters

obj
Object

The string to compare to this instance.

Returns

true if obj is a String and its value is the same as this instance; otherwise, false. If obj is null, the method returns false.

Examples

The following example demonstrates the Equals method.

// Sample for String.Equals(Object)
//            String.Equals(String)
//            String.Equals(String, String)
using System;
using System.Text;

class Sample1
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder("abcd");
        String str1 = "abcd";
        String str2 = null;
        Object o2 = null;

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of String str1 is '{0}'.", str1);
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of StringBuilder sb is '{0}'.", sb.ToString());

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine("1a) String.Equals(Object). Object is a StringBuilder, not a String.");
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to sb?: {0}", str1.Equals(sb));

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine("1b) String.Equals(Object). Object is a String.");
        str2 = sb.ToString();
        o2 = str2;
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of Object o2 is '{0}'.", o2);
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to o2?: {0}", str1.Equals(o2));

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine(" 2) String.Equals(String)");
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of String str2 is '{0}'.", str2);
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to str2?: {0}", str1.Equals(str2));

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine(" 3) String.Equals(String, String)");
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to str2?: {0}", String.Equals(str1, str2));
    }
}
/*
This example produces the following results:

 *  The value of String str1 is 'abcd'.
 *  The value of StringBuilder sb is 'abcd'.

1a) String.Equals(Object). Object is a StringBuilder, not a String.
    Is str1 equal to sb?: False

1b) String.Equals(Object). Object is a String.
 *  The value of Object o2 is 'abcd'.
    Is str1 equal to o2?: True

 2) String.Equals(String)
 *  The value of String str2 is 'abcd'.
    Is str1 equal to str2?: True

 3) String.Equals(String, String)
    Is str1 equal to str2?: True
*/

Remarks

This method performs an ordinal (case-sensitive and culture-insensitive) comparison.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

Equals(String)

Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs

Determines whether this instance and another specified String object have the same value.

public bool Equals (string value);
public bool Equals (string? value);

Parameters

value
String

The string to compare to this instance.

Returns

true if the value of the value parameter is the same as the value of this instance; otherwise, false. If value is null, the method returns false.

Implements

Examples

The following example demonstrates the Equals method. It compares the title-cased word "File" with an equivalent word, its lowercase equivalent, its uppercase equivalent, and a word that contains LATIN SMALL LETTER DOTLESS I (U+0131) instead of LATIN SMALL LETTER I (U+0069). Because the Equals(String) method performs an ordinal comparison, only the comparison with an identical word returns true.

using System;

public class Example
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        Console.OutputEncoding = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8;
        string word = "File";
        string[] others = { word.ToLower(), word, word.ToUpper(), "Fıle" };
        foreach (string other in others)
        {
            if (word.Equals(other))
                Console.WriteLine("{0} = {1}", word, other);
            else
                Console.WriteLine("{0} {1} {2}", word, '\u2260', other);
        }
    }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       File ≠ file
//       File = File
//       File ≠ FILE
//       File ≠ Fıle

Remarks

This method performs an ordinal (case-sensitive and culture-insensitive) comparison.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

Equals(String, String)

Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs

Determines whether two specified String objects have the same value.

public static bool Equals (string a, string b);
public static bool Equals (string? a, string? b);

Parameters

a
String

The first string to compare, or null.

b
String

The second string to compare, or null.

Returns

true if the value of a is the same as the value of b; otherwise, false. If both a and b are null, the method returns true.

Examples

The following example demonstrates the Equals method.

// Sample for String.Equals(Object)
//            String.Equals(String)
//            String.Equals(String, String)
using System;
using System.Text;

class Sample1
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder("abcd");
        String str1 = "abcd";
        String str2 = null;
        Object o2 = null;

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of String str1 is '{0}'.", str1);
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of StringBuilder sb is '{0}'.", sb.ToString());

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine("1a) String.Equals(Object). Object is a StringBuilder, not a String.");
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to sb?: {0}", str1.Equals(sb));

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine("1b) String.Equals(Object). Object is a String.");
        str2 = sb.ToString();
        o2 = str2;
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of Object o2 is '{0}'.", o2);
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to o2?: {0}", str1.Equals(o2));

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine(" 2) String.Equals(String)");
        Console.WriteLine(" *  The value of String str2 is '{0}'.", str2);
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to str2?: {0}", str1.Equals(str2));

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine(" 3) String.Equals(String, String)");
        Console.WriteLine("    Is str1 equal to str2?: {0}", String.Equals(str1, str2));
    }
}
/*
This example produces the following results:

 *  The value of String str1 is 'abcd'.
 *  The value of StringBuilder sb is 'abcd'.

1a) String.Equals(Object). Object is a StringBuilder, not a String.
    Is str1 equal to sb?: False

1b) String.Equals(Object). Object is a String.
 *  The value of Object o2 is 'abcd'.
    Is str1 equal to o2?: True

 2) String.Equals(String)
 *  The value of String str2 is 'abcd'.
    Is str1 equal to str2?: True

 3) String.Equals(String, String)
    Is str1 equal to str2?: True
*/

Remarks

This method performs an ordinal (case-sensitive and culture-insensitive) comparison.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

Equals(String, StringComparison)

Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs

Determines whether this string and a specified String object have the same value. A parameter specifies the culture, case, and sort rules used in the comparison.

public bool Equals (string value, StringComparison comparisonType);
public bool Equals (string? value, StringComparison comparisonType);

Parameters

value
String

The string to compare to this instance.

comparisonType
StringComparison

One of the enumeration values that specifies how the strings will be compared.

Returns

true if the value of the value parameter is the same as this string; otherwise, false.

Exceptions

comparisonType is not a StringComparison value.

Examples

The following example creates a string array that consists of an uppercase "I", a lowercase "i", and a dotless "ı". It then calls the Equals(String, StringComparison) method to compare them by using each possible StringComparison enumeration value.

using System;

class Sample 
{
   public static void Main() 
   {
      // Define a string array with the following three "I" characters:
      //      U+0069, U+0131, and U+0049.  
      string[] threeIs = { "i", "ı", "I" };
      // Define Type object representing StringComparison type.
      Type scType = typeof(StringComparison);  
      
      // Show the current culture (for culture-sensitive string comparisons).
      Console.WriteLine("The current culture is {0}.\n", 
                        System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.Name);
        
      // Perform comparisons using each StringComparison member. 
      foreach (string scName in Enum.GetNames(scType))
      {
         StringComparison sc = (StringComparison) Enum.Parse(scType, scName);
         Console.WriteLine("Comparisons using {0}:", sc);
         // Compare each character in character array.
         for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 1; ctr++)
         {
            string instanceChar = threeIs[ctr];
            for (int innerCtr = ctr + 1; innerCtr <= threeIs.GetUpperBound(0); innerCtr++)
            {
               string otherChar = threeIs[innerCtr];
               Console.WriteLine("{0} (U+{1}) = {2} (U+{3}): {4}", 
                                 instanceChar, Convert.ToInt16(Char.Parse(instanceChar)).ToString("X4"), 
                                 otherChar, Convert.ToInt16(Char.Parse(otherChar)).ToString("X4"), 
                                 instanceChar.Equals(otherChar, sc));
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
         }
      }   
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       The current culture is en-US.
//       
//       Comparisons using CurrentCulture:
//       i (U+0069) = ı (U+0131): False
//       i (U+0069) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       ı (U+0131) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       Comparisons using CurrentCultureIgnoreCase:
//       i (U+0069) = ı (U+0131): False
//       i (U+0069) = I (U+0049): True
//       
//       ı (U+0131) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       Comparisons using InvariantCulture:
//       i (U+0069) = ı (U+0131): False
//       i (U+0069) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       ı (U+0131) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       Comparisons using InvariantCultureIgnoreCase:
//       i (U+0069) = ı (U+0131): False
//       i (U+0069) = I (U+0049): True
//       
//       ı (U+0131) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       Comparisons using Ordinal:
//       i (U+0069) = ı (U+0131): False
//       i (U+0069) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       ı (U+0131) = I (U+0049): False
//       
//       Comparisons using OrdinalIgnoreCase:
//       i (U+0069) = ı (U+0131): False
//       i (U+0069) = I (U+0049): True
//       
//       ı (U+0131) = I (U+0049): False

Remarks

The comparisonType parameter indicates whether the comparison should use the current or invariant culture, honor or ignore the case of the two strings being compared, or use word or ordinal sort rules.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

Equals(String, String, StringComparison)

Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs
Source:
String.Comparison.cs

Determines whether two specified String objects have the same value. A parameter specifies the culture, case, and sort rules used in the comparison.

public static bool Equals (string a, string b, StringComparison comparisonType);
public static bool Equals (string? a, string? b, StringComparison comparisonType);

Parameters

a
String

The first string to compare, or null.

b
String

The second string to compare, or null.

comparisonType
StringComparison

One of the enumeration values that specifies the rules for the comparison.

Returns

true if the value of the a parameter is equal to the value of the b parameter; otherwise, false.

Exceptions

comparisonType is not a StringComparison value.

Examples

The following example compares three sets of strings by using each member of the StringComparison enumeration. The comparisons use the conventions of the English (United States), Thai (Thailand) and Turkish (Turkey) cultures. Note that the strings "a" and "a-" are considered equivalent in the "th-TH" culture but not in the others, while "i" and "İ" are considered equivalent in the "tr-TR" culture when case is ignored but not in the other cultures.

using System;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Threading;

public class Example3
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        String[] cultureNames = { "en-US", "th-TH", "tr-TR" };
        String[] strings1 = { "a", "i", "case", };
        String[] strings2 = { "a-", "\u0130", "Case" };
        StringComparison[] comparisons = (StringComparison[])Enum.GetValues(typeof(StringComparison));

        foreach (var cultureName in cultureNames)
        {
            Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture(cultureName);
            Console.WriteLine("Current Culture: {0}", CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.Name);
            for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= strings1.GetUpperBound(0); ctr++)
            {
                foreach (var comparison in comparisons)
                    Console.WriteLine("   {0} = {1} ({2}): {3}", strings1[ctr],
                                      strings2[ctr], comparison,
                                      String.Equals(strings1[ctr], strings2[ctr], comparison));

                Console.WriteLine();
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
    }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//    Current Culture: en-US
//       a = a- (CurrentCulture): False
//       a = a- (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       a = a- (InvariantCulture): False
//       a = a- (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       a = a- (Ordinal): False
//       a = a- (OrdinalIgnoreCase): False
//
//       i = İ (CurrentCulture): False
//       i = İ (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       i = İ (InvariantCulture): False
//       i = İ (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       i = İ (Ordinal): False
//       i = İ (OrdinalIgnoreCase): False
//
//       case = Case (CurrentCulture): False
//       case = Case (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       case = Case (InvariantCulture): False
//       case = Case (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       case = Case (Ordinal): False
//       case = Case (OrdinalIgnoreCase): True
//
//
//    Current Culture: th-TH
//       a = a- (CurrentCulture): True
//       a = a- (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       a = a- (InvariantCulture): False
//       a = a- (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       a = a- (Ordinal): False
//       a = a- (OrdinalIgnoreCase): False
//
//       i = İ (CurrentCulture): False
//       i = İ (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       i = İ (InvariantCulture): False
//       i = İ (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       i = İ (Ordinal): False
//       i = İ (OrdinalIgnoreCase): False
//
//       case = Case (CurrentCulture): False
//       case = Case (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       case = Case (InvariantCulture): False
//       case = Case (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       case = Case (Ordinal): False
//       case = Case (OrdinalIgnoreCase): True
//
//
//    Current Culture: tr-TR
//       a = a- (CurrentCulture): False
//       a = a- (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       a = a- (InvariantCulture): False
//       a = a- (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       a = a- (Ordinal): False
//       a = a- (OrdinalIgnoreCase): False
//
//       i = İ (CurrentCulture): False
//       i = İ (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       i = İ (InvariantCulture): False
//       i = İ (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): False
//       i = İ (Ordinal): False
//       i = İ (OrdinalIgnoreCase): False
//
//       case = Case (CurrentCulture): False
//       case = Case (CurrentCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       case = Case (InvariantCulture): False
//       case = Case (InvariantCultureIgnoreCase): True
//       case = Case (Ordinal): False
//       case = Case (OrdinalIgnoreCase): True

Remarks

The comparisonType parameter indicates whether the comparison should use the current or invariant culture, honor or ignore the case of the two strings being compared, or use word or ordinal sort rules.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0