VB.Net + and & Operator

The + and & operators in VB.NET can both be used to join strings. However, there is a key difference between the two operators:

& operator

The & operator is specifically designed for joining strings. It is more efficient than the + operator for joining strings, and it is also less likely to produce unexpected results.

+ operator

The + operator is a general-purpose operator that can be used to add numbers, strings, and other types of data. It is not as efficient as the & operator for joining strings, and it is more likely to produce unexpected results if one of the operands is not a string.

' This code uses the & operator to join strings. Dim string1 As String = "Hello" Dim string2 As String = "World" Dim joinedString As String = string1 & string2 Console.WriteLine(joinedString) ' Output: Hello World ' This code uses the + operator to join strings. Dim string3 As String = "Hello" Dim string4 As String = "World" Dim joinedString2 As String = string3 + string4 Console.WriteLine(joinedString2) ' Output: Hello World ' This code uses the + operator to add two numbers. Dim number1 As Integer = 10 Dim number2 As Integer = 20 Dim sum As Integer = number1 + number2 Console.WriteLine(sum) ' Output: 30 ' This code tries to add a string to a number. Dim string5 As String = "Hello" Dim number3 As Integer = 20 ' This code will cause a compile-time error. ' Dim sum2 As Integer = string5 + number3
Use Cases:
  1. Use + when you are certain that both operands are non-null and you want to perform simple string concatenation.
  2. Use &when dealing with potentially null strings or when you want more robust string concatenation that handles null or empty values.

Conclusion

In most cases, using & is preferred in VB.NET because it provides more predictable and safe string concatenation behavior, especially when working with strings that may have null values.






Related Topics
  1. Hidden Features of VB.Net
  2. Check if program is running in VB.Net
  3. Determine the size of a structure | VB.Net
  4. How to remove decimal from variable in VB.Net
  1. VB.Net wait (x) seconds
  2. How to Get a File Extension Using VB.NET
  3. VB.NET ToUpper Examples
  4. Local Variables in VB.Net
  5. VB.Net - Select Case Statement
  6. VB.Net DateOnly and TimeOnly
  7. VB.Net - Get the byte size of type
  8. Concatenation Operators in VB.Net
  9. Ternary operator in VB.NET
  10. Difference between And and AndAlso in VB.Net
  11. Reference to a non-shared member requires an object reference