CompareInfo::Compare Method (String, Int32, Int32, String, Int32, Int32, CompareOptions)
Compares a section of one string with a section of another string using the specified CompareOptions value.
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
public: virtual int Compare( String^ string1, int offset1, int length1, String^ string2, int offset2, int length2, CompareOptions options )
Parameters
- string1
- Type: System::String
The first string to compare.
- offset1
- Type: System::Int32
The zero-based index of the character in string1 at which to start comparing.
- length1
- Type: System::Int32
The number of consecutive characters in string1 to compare.
- string2
- Type: System::String
The second string to compare.
- offset2
- Type: System::Int32
The zero-based index of the character in string2 at which to start comparing.
- length2
- Type: System::Int32
The number of consecutive characters in string2 to compare.
- options
- Type: System.Globalization::CompareOptions
The CompareOptions value that defines how string1 and string2 should be compared. options is either the value Ordinal used by itself, or the bitwise combination of one or more of the following values: IgnoreCase, IgnoreSymbols, IgnoreNonSpace, IgnoreWidth, IgnoreKanaType, and StringSort.
Return Value
Type: System::Int32Value | Condition |
|---|---|
zero | The two strings are equal. |
less than zero | The specified section of string1 is less than the specified section of string2. |
greater than zero | The specified section of string1 is greater than the specified section of string2. |
| Exception | Condition |
|---|---|
| ArgumentOutOfRangeException | offset1 or length1 or offset2 or length2 is less than zero. -or- offset1 is greater than or equal to the number of characters in string1. -or- offset2 is greater than or equal to the number of characters in string2. -or- length1 is greater than the number of characters from offset1 to the end of string1. -or- length2 is greater than the number of characters from offset2 to the end of string2. |
| ArgumentException | options contains an invalid CompareOptions value. |
If a security decision depends on a string comparison or a case change, the application should use the InvariantCulture to ensure that the behavior is consistent regardless of the culture settings of the operating system.
Note |
|---|
When possible, the application should use string comparison methods that accept a CompareOptions value to specify the kind of comparison expected. As a general rule, user-facing comparisons are best served by the use of linguistic options (using the current culture), while security comparisons should specify Ordinal or OrdinalIgnoreCase. |
The following code example compares portions of two strings using different CompareOptions settings.
using namespace System; using namespace System::Globalization; int main() { // Defines the strings to compare. String^ myStr1 = "My Uncle Bill's clients"; String^ myStr2 = "My uncle bills clients"; // Creates a CompareInfo that uses the InvariantCulture. CompareInfo^ myComp = CultureInfo::InvariantCulture->CompareInfo; // Compares two strings using myComp. Console::WriteLine( "Comparing \"{0}\" and \"{1}\"", myStr1->Substring( 3, 10 ), myStr2->Substring( 3, 10 ) ); Console::WriteLine( " With no CompareOptions : {0}", myComp->Compare( myStr1, 3, 10, myStr2, 3, 10 ) ); Console::WriteLine( " With None : {0}", myComp->Compare( myStr1, 3, 10, myStr2, 3, 10, CompareOptions::None ) ); Console::WriteLine( " With Ordinal : {0}", myComp->Compare( myStr1, 3, 10, myStr2, 3, 10, CompareOptions::Ordinal ) ); Console::WriteLine( " With StringSort : {0}", myComp->Compare( myStr1, 3, 10, myStr2, 3, 10, CompareOptions::StringSort ) ); Console::WriteLine( " With IgnoreCase : {0}", myComp->Compare( myStr1, 3, 10, myStr2, 3, 10, CompareOptions::IgnoreCase ) ); Console::WriteLine( " With IgnoreSymbols : {0}", myComp->Compare( myStr1, 3, 10, myStr2, 3, 10, CompareOptions::IgnoreSymbols ) ); Console::WriteLine( " With IgnoreCase and IgnoreSymbols : {0}", myComp->Compare( myStr1, 3, 10, myStr2, 3, 10, static_cast<CompareOptions>(CompareOptions::IgnoreCase | CompareOptions::IgnoreSymbols) ) ); } /* This code produces the following output. Comparing "Uncle Bill" and "uncle bill" With no CompareOptions : 1 With None : 1 With Ordinal : -32 With StringSort : 1 With IgnoreCase : 0 With IgnoreSymbols : 1 With IgnoreCase and IgnoreSymbols : 0 */
Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2
The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.
Note