Dir Sep Char / Volume sep char or hardcoded backslash?

Question

Hello all expert users

I'm adding a back slash directory separator char at the end if:

If TargetDir.EndsWith(" : ") = False Then TargetDir = TargetDir + " \ "

My vb.net app which targets .net framework 4.0 will only run on Windows 7 to 11 and Server, so should I use the following?

If TargetDir.EndsWith(Path.VolumeSeparatorChar) = False Then TargetDir = TargetDir + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar

Which one recommended for my use?

Thank you for help.

Answer 1

It doesn't matter much. If you take a look at source code of .NET Framwork, you see Path.DirectorySeparatorChar and Path.VolumeSeparatorChar are defined as:

// Platform specific directory separator character.  This is backslash
// ('\') on Windows, slash ('/') on Unix, and colon (':') on Mac.
public static readonly char DirectorySeparatorChar = '\\';

// Platform specific volume separator character.  This is colon (':')
// on Windows and MacOS, and slash ('/') on Unix.  This is mostly
// useful for parsing paths like "c:\windows" or "MacVolume:System Folder".
public static readonly char VolumeSeparatorChar = ':';

Considering the fact that you are using .NET Framework 4.X targeting only Windows OS; feel free to use either.

Answer 2

Hi

Maybe using IO.Path can help. It can form safe paths from parameters as needed.

e.g. Create a Path to a file called AlarmList.xml.

    Dim TargetPath As String = IO.Path.Combine(Application.StartupPath, "Data", "Data2", "Freddy", "AlarmList.xml")

' result:  C:\Users\lesha\Documents\Projects\AlarmList\AlarmList\bin\Debug\Data\Data2\Freddy\AlarmList.xml

Answer 3

It seems your logic is backwards.... maybe... Not sure what the point of this is.

        If TargetDir.EndsWith(IO.Path.VolumeSeparatorChar) Then
            TargetDir = IO.Path.Combine(TargetDir, IO.Path.DirectorySeparatorChar)
        End If