CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#xmllinq-to-xmlliterals
user3431504
user3431504

Reputation: 159

C# string literal as a command line argument using @

This is probably a simple error on my part but I'm having issues reading a string argument that begins with @ in the context of XML.

For example:

program.exe file.xml @attribute

the @attribute string is the attribute that I need to check for in a join:

var testjoin = from x in tree1 join y in tree2 on (string)x.Attribute(args[2]) equals (string)y.Attribute("Order") select x

but I keep throwing errors "name cannot begin with the '@' character..." from when I try to pass it directly to x.Attribute()

Would someone be able to help me solve this?

EDIT: The XML content of the file is irrelevant. This is for assignment purposes but it is a simple file of Customers that I am comparing with a file of Orders.

The header of the file is

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

The @attribute was literally @CustomerID and I cannot alter how it is passed into my program. I can alter how I process it, so if there is another method I can use to perform a join passing that in as an attribute, I can change that.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 751

Answers (1)

jeroenh
jeroenh

Reputation: 26792

A "C# string literal" and a "command line argument" live in different worlds, they have nothing to do with each other.

A (verbatim or regular) string literal is evaluated at compile time by the C# compiler. The '@' sign is an escape character used for verbatim string literals that (a.o.) tells the compiler to treat certain characters literally instead of as escape characters. E.g. @"hello\tworld" will compile into a string with an actual backslash followed by t, while "hello\tworld" turns \t into a tab.

A command line argument is passed in at runtime, so it can not be treated as a string literal. Which makes it your responsibility to deal with the '@' character in your code.

Upvotes: 1

Related Questions