C#•3y ago

❔ arent strings reference types?

string str1 = "string 1";
string str2 = "string 2";

str1 = str2;
str1 = "BLAHH";

Console.WriteLine(str1 + "\t" + str2);
Console.ReadKey();

string str1 = "string 1";
string str2 = "string 2";

str1 = str2;
str1 = "BLAHH";

Console.WriteLine(str1 + "\t" + str2);
Console.ReadKey();

why doesnt this print out

BLAHH               BLAHH

BLAHH               BLAHH

333fred•4/4/23, 5:24 AM

Strings are reference types. However, you are confusing what that means here

333fred•4/4/23, 5:24 AM

str1

str1

is a reference. When you reassign it, you're not changing other references to that same value

333fred•4/4/23, 5:25 AM

You never changed what

str2

str2

is ("string 2"), so it never changes

ScartissueOP•4/4/23, 5:29 AM

string str1 = "string 1";
string str2 = "string 2";

str1 = str2;
str2 = "BLAHH";

Console.WriteLine(str1 + "\t" + str2);
Console.ReadKey();

string str1 = "string 1";
string str2 = "string 2";

str1 = str2;
str2 = "BLAHH";

Console.WriteLine(str1 + "\t" + str2);
Console.ReadKey();

what about this case

ScartissueOP•4/4/23, 5:29 AM

str1

str1

is pointing to

str2

str2

ScartissueOP•4/4/23, 5:29 AM

and

str2

str2

is changed to

"BLAHH"

"BLAHH"

ScartissueOP•4/4/23, 5:29 AM

but it doesnt change

str1

str1

Jimmacle•4/4/23, 5:30 AM

you're misunderstanding

Jimmacle•4/4/23, 5:31 AM

str2 = "BLAHH"

str2 = "BLAHH"

isn't changing the value of the string

str2

str2

references, it's changing the reference to an entirely new string. so the contents of the string that

str1

str1

references never changes

Jimmacle•4/4/23, 5:31 AM

C# strings are immutable

333fred•4/4/23, 5:40 AM

No.

str1

str1

is pointing to the same string that

str2

str2

is pointing to. Then, you reassign

str2

str2

to point to a new string. That doesn't affect what

str1

str1

is pointing to

ScartissueOP•4/4/23, 6:14 AM

ooh

Thalnos•4/4/23, 7:50 AM

this immutability is also why people often say string is a reference type that behaves like a value type. This is how I remember it

333fred•4/4/23, 3:10 PM

This has nothing to do with string immutability, and all reference types have exactly the same behavior as these examples

Jester•4/4/23, 6:40 PM

thats when youre comparing strings

Thalnos•4/5/23, 7:10 AM

right, sorry

Accord•4/6/23, 7:22 AM

Was this issue resolved? If so, run

/close

/close

otherwise I will mark this as stale and this post will be archived until there is new activity.