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String.CompareTo Method (Object)

.NET Framework 3.5

Compares this instance with a specified Object and indicates whether this instance precedes, follows, or appears in the same position in the sort order as the specified Object.

Namespace: System
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)

Syntax

C++

JScript

public int CompareTo(
	Object value
)

Parameters

value: Type: System.Object
An Object that evaluates to a String.

Return Value

Type: System.Int32
A 32-bit signed integer that indicates whether this instance precedes, follows, or appears in the same position in the sort order as the value parameter.

Value	Condition
Less than zero	This instance precedes value.
Zero	This instance has the same position in the sort order as value.
Greater than zero	This instance follows value. -or- value is null.

Value

Condition

Less than zero

This instance precedes value.

Zero

This instance has the same position in the sort order as value.

Greater than zero

This instance follows value.

-or-

value is null.

Implements

IComparable.CompareTo(Object)

Exceptions

Exception	Condition
ArgumentException	value is not a String.

Remarks

value must be a String object.

Caution:
The CompareTo method was designed primarily for use in sorting or alphabetizing operations. It should not be used when the primary purpose of the method call is to determine whether two strings are equivalent. To determine whether two strings are equivalent, call the Equals method.

This method performs a word (case-sensitive and culture-sensitive) comparison using the current culture. For more information about word, string, and ordinal sorts, see System.Globalization.CompareOptions.

For more information about the behavior of this method, see the Remarks section of the String.Compare(String, String) method.

Examples

The following example demonstrates how you can use the CompareTo method with an Object.

C++

JScript

using System;

public class MyClass {}
public class ArgExceptionExample 
   {
   public static void Main()
      {
      MyClass my = new MyClass();
      string s = "sometext";
      try 
         {
         int i = s.CompareTo(my);
         }
            catch (Exception e) 
            {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: {0}",e.ToString());
            }
      }
}

Platforms

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Xbox 360, Zune

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

Version Information