String output: format or concat in C#?

Question

Let\'s say that you want to output or concat strings. Which of the following styles do you prefer?

• var p = new { FirstName = \"Bill\", LastName = \"Ga

Answer 1

I'd use the String.Format, but I would also have the format string in the resource files so it can be localised for other languages. Using a simple string concat doesn't allow you to do that. Obviously if you wont ever need to localise that string, this isn't a reason to think about. It really depends on what the string is for.

If it's going to be showed to the user, I'd use String.Format so I can localize if I need to - and FxCop will spell check it for me, just in case :)

If it contains numbers or any other non-string things (e.g. dates), I'd use String.Format because it gives me more control over the formatting.

If it's for building a query like SQL, I'd use Linq.

If for concatenating strings inside a loop, I'd use StringBuilder to avoid performance problems.

If it's for some output the user wont see, and isn't going to effect performance I'd use String.Format because I'm in the habit of using it anyway and I'm just used to it :)