Using c# 3.5, what's the best way to remove the contents of a stringbuilder
object? I was using this code:

sb.Remove(1, sb.Length - 1);

but when it had 9 carriage returns in it like this:
"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n"

I got the error:
System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Length cannot be less than zero.
Parameter name: length at System.Text.StringBuilder.Remove(Int32 startIndex,
Int32 length)

You would think there would be a simple Clear() method.

Thanks.



--
(E-Mail Removed)am

On Thu, 7 Feb 2008 11:40:43 -0600, "moondaddy"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Using c# 3.5, what's the best way to remove the contents of a stringbuilder
>object? I was using this code:
>
>sb.Remove(1, sb.Length - 1);
>
>but when it had 9 carriage returns in it like this:
>"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n"
>
>I got the error:
>System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Length cannot be less than zero.
>Parameter name: length at System.Text.StringBuilder.Remove(Int32 startIndex,
>Int32 length)
>
>You would think there would be a simple Clear() method.
>
>Thanks.

If you want to remove everything, set Length = 0.

Your call to Remove should have left the first character, but would
give an error if there were no characters in the stringbuilder.

moondaddy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Using c# 3.5, what's the best way to remove the contents of a stringbuilder
> object? I was using this code:
>
> sb.Remove(1, sb.Length - 1);
>
> but when it had 9 carriage returns in it like this:
> "\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n"
>
> I got the error:
> System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Length cannot be less than zero.
> Parameter name: length at System.Text.StringBuilder.Remove(Int32 startIndex,
> Int32 length)
>
> You would think there would be a simple Clear() method.

Well, aside from the response from Jack, why don't you just create a
new StringBuilder?

--
Jon Skeet - <(E-Mail Removed)>
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet Blog: http://www.msmvps.com/jon.skeet
World class .NET training in the UK: http://iterativetraining.co.uk

Thanks Jon and Jack.

I thought about that, but figured there would be a more efficient way to
clear the content rather than creating a whole new object. My guess is that
Jack's suggestion will consume less resources than creating a new
stringbuilder each time since it will be used in an iteration.

"Jon Skeet [C# MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> moondaddy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> Using c# 3.5, what's the best way to remove the contents of a
>> stringbuilder
>> object? I was using this code:
>>
>> sb.Remove(1, sb.Length - 1);
>>
>> but when it had 9 carriage returns in it like this:
>> "\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n"
>>
>> I got the error:
>> System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Length cannot be less than zero.
>> Parameter name: length at System.Text.StringBuilder.Remove(Int32
>> startIndex,
>> Int32 length)
>>
>> You would think there would be a simple Clear() method.
>
> Well, aside from the response from Jack, why don't you just create a
> new StringBuilder?
>
> --
> Jon Skeet - <(E-Mail Removed)>
> http://www.pobox.com/~skeet Blog: http://www.msmvps.com/jon.skeet
> World class .NET training in the UK: http://iterativetraining.co.uk

moondaddy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I thought about that, but figured there would be a more efficient way to
> clear the content rather than creating a whole new object. My guess is that
> Jack's suggestion will consume less resources than creating a new
> stringbuilder each time since it will be used in an iteration.

The important thing is that creating a new StringBuilder for each
iteration is simpler to understand. Unless this turns into a
performance bottleneck, you should use the simplest reasonable code and
not worry about micro-optimising. Clearing and reusing a StringBuilder
definitely counts as micro-optimisation - and it may well go wrong, as
the StringBuilder will end up in gen1 or gen2, rather than being
garbage collected quickly.

--
Jon Skeet - <(E-Mail Removed)>
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet Blog: http://www.msmvps.com/jon.skeet
World class .NET training in the UK: http://iterativetraining.co.uk

Jon,

I am more and more happy when I see this kind of messages from you.
>
> The important thing is that creating a new StringBuilder for each
> iteration is simpler to understand. Unless this turns into a
> performance bottleneck, you should use the simplest reasonable code and
> not worry about micro-optimising. Clearing and reusing a StringBuilder
> definitely counts as micro-optimisation - and it may well go wrong, as
> the StringBuilder will end up in gen1 or gen2, rather than being
> garbage collected quickly.
>
Absolutely my idea too.

Have a look at my reply too.

:-)

Cor

Moondaddy,

The simplest method is in my idea to let it go out of scope.

Cor

Thanks for the advice!


"Cor Ligthert[MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:FEA67EBB-8246-4F8D-9CAD-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Moondaddy,
>
> The simplest method is in my idea to let it go out of scope.
>
> Cor