StringBuilder.Capacity Property

Definition

Namespace:

System.Text

Assemblies:

netstandard.dll, System.Runtime.dll

Source:

StringBuilder.cs

Gets or sets the maximum number of characters that can be contained in the memory allocated by the current instance.

C#

public int Capacity { get; set; }

Property Value

Int32

The maximum number of characters that can be contained in the memory allocated by the current instance. Its value can range from Length to MaxCapacity.

Exceptions

ArgumentOutOfRangeException

The value specified for a set operation is less than the current length of this instance.

-or-

The value specified for a set operation is greater than the maximum capacity.

Examples

The following example demonstrates the Capacity property.

C#

using System;
using System.Text;

class Sample
{
    public static void Main()
    {
    StringBuilder sb1 = new StringBuilder("abc");
    StringBuilder sb2 = new StringBuilder("abc", 16);

    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("a1) sb1.Length = {0}, sb1.Capacity = {1}", sb1.Length, sb1.Capacity);
    Console.WriteLine("a2) sb2.Length = {0}, sb2.Capacity = {1}", sb2.Length, sb2.Capacity);
    Console.WriteLine("a3) sb1.ToString() = \"{0}\", sb2.ToString() = \"{1}\"",
                           sb1.ToString(),       sb2.ToString());
    Console.WriteLine("a4) sb1 equals sb2: {0}", sb1.Equals(sb2));

    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("Ensure sb1 has a capacity of at least 50 characters.");
    sb1.EnsureCapacity(50);

    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("b1) sb1.Length = {0}, sb1.Capacity = {1}", sb1.Length, sb1.Capacity);
    Console.WriteLine("b2) sb2.Length = {0}, sb2.Capacity = {1}", sb2.Length, sb2.Capacity);
    Console.WriteLine("b3) sb1.ToString() = \"{0}\", sb2.ToString() = \"{1}\"",
                           sb1.ToString(),       sb2.ToString());
    Console.WriteLine("b4) sb1 equals sb2: {0}", sb1.Equals(sb2));

    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("Set the length of sb1 to zero.");
    Console.WriteLine("Set the capacity of sb2 to 51 characters.");
    sb1.Length = 0;
    sb2.Capacity = 51;

    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("c1) sb1.Length = {0}, sb1.Capacity = {1}", sb1.Length, sb1.Capacity);
    Console.WriteLine("c2) sb2.Length = {0}, sb2.Capacity = {1}", sb2.Length, sb2.Capacity);
    Console.WriteLine("c3) sb1.ToString() = \"{0}\", sb2.ToString() = \"{1}\"",
                           sb1.ToString(),       sb2.ToString());
    Console.WriteLine("c4) sb1 equals sb2: {0}", sb1.Equals(sb2));
    }
}
/*
The example displays the following output:

a1) sb1.Length = 3, sb1.Capacity = 16
a2) sb2.Length = 3, sb2.Capacity = 16
a3) sb1.ToString() = "abc", sb2.ToString() = "abc"
a4) sb1 equals sb2: True

Ensure sb1 has a capacity of at least 50 characters.

b1) sb1.Length = 3, sb1.Capacity = 50
b2) sb2.Length = 3, sb2.Capacity = 16
b3) sb1.ToString() = "abc", sb2.ToString() = "abc"
b4) sb1 equals sb2: False

Set the length of sb1 to zero.
Set the capacity of sb2 to 51 characters.

c1) sb1.Length = 0, sb1.Capacity = 50
c2) sb2.Length = 3, sb2.Capacity = 51
c3) sb1.ToString() = "", sb2.ToString() = "abc"
c4) sb1 equals sb2: False
*/

Remarks

Capacity does not affect the string value of the current instance. Capacity can be decreased as long as it is not less than Length.

The StringBuilder dynamically allocates more space when required and increases Capacity accordingly. For performance reasons, a StringBuilder might allocate more memory than needed. The amount of memory allocated is implementation-specific.

Applies to