Databases
StackOverflow2013
Postsdbo
POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
 

Note that there are some explanatory texts on larger screens.

plurals
  1. POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
    primarykey
    data
    text
    <p>I'm trying to understand why <code>string.Empty</code> is <code>readonly</code> and not a <code>const</code>. I saw <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/q/507923/601179">this</a> Post but I don't understand the comment Microsoft wrote about it. As Jon Skeet <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/a/8462706/601179">wrote</a> in a comment <em>"I don't know - it doesn't make much sense to me, to be honest..."</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=8C09FD61-3F26-4555-AE17-3121B4F51D4D&amp;displaylang=en" rel="noreferrer">Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure 2.0 Release</a>. string.cs is in sscli20\clr\src\bcl\system\string.cs</p> <pre><code>// The Empty constant holds the empty string value. //We need to call the String constructor so that the compiler doesn't mark this as a literal. //Marking this as a literal would mean that it doesn't show up as a field which we can access //from native. public static readonly String Empty = ""; </code></pre> <p>I can't see here any String constructor call and furthermore, it's marked as literal - <strong>""</strong> </p> <p>Can someone please explain me in plain text, What does the comment mean and why is <code>string.Empty</code> <code>readonly</code> and not a <code>const</code>?</p> <hr> <p><strong>Update:</strong><br> <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/users/88656/eric-lippert">Eric Lippert</a> commented on by now a <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/a/8487944/601179">deleted answer</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>I asked one of the C# old-timers over lunch about this and he did not recall specifically why this decision was made, but conjectured that it had something to do with interning.</p> </blockquote>
    singulars
    1. This table or related slice is empty.
    1. This table or related slice is empty.
    1. PTQuestion
    1. USCommunity
    1. USgdoron
    plurals
    1. PL
      singulars
      1. LTLinked
    2. PL
      singulars
      1. LTLinked
    1. PL
      singulars
      1. LTLinked
    2. PL
      singulars
      1. LTLinked
    1. This table or related slice is empty.
    1. PO
      singulars
      1. PTAnswer
    1. VO
      singulars
      1. POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
      1. This table or related slice is empty.
      1. VTUpMod
    2. VO
      singulars
      1. POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
      1. USAdam Ralph
      1. VTFavorite
    3. VO
      singulars
      1. POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
      1. This table or related slice is empty.
      1. VTUpMod
    1. COMaybe it's one of those comments that made sense at one point, but then the code was changed and it no longer makes sense... not that I've ever done that or anything... *whistles as he walks away*
      singulars
      1. POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
      1. This table or related slice is empty.
    2. CO"Why isn't it a const" - because then you couldn't have fun doing `typeof(string).GetField("Empty").SetValue(null, null);` or `typeof(string).GetField("Empty").SetValue(null, " ");` - mwahahah; mwaaaahahahahahahhh; MWWWWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHH!
      singulars
      1. POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
      1. USMarc Gravell
    3. CO@MarcGravell, Where is Eric Lippert when he is needed. "Help me superman..."
      singulars
      1. POMeaning of confusing comment above "string.Empty" in .NET/BCL source?
      1. USgdoron
 

Querying!

 
Guidance
A row detail

Detail views are divided into sections. All the information in the data section comes from columns in the selected row. The other sections display data from other, related rows.

Related data can be related in a to-one or a to-many fashion. Captions of data related in a to-many fashion link to a list view showing a filtered view of the table.

Try moving around until you find a non-empty to-many entry and click on the label to get to one. You can move back to the root by clicking on the database name in the header.

SQuiL has stopped working due to an internal error.

If you are curious you may find further information in the browser console, which is accessible through the devtools (F12).

Reload