String.IsInterned(String) Method

Definition

Namespace:

System

Assemblies:

netstandard.dll, System.Runtime.dll

Source:

String.CoreCLR.cs

Retrieves a reference to a specified String.

public:
 static System::String ^ IsInterned(System::String ^ str);

public static string? IsInterned(string str);

static member IsInterned : string -> string

Public Shared Function IsInterned (str As String) As String

Parameters

str

String

The string to search for in the intern pool.

Returns

String

A reference to str if it is in the common language runtime intern pool; otherwise, null.

Exceptions

ArgumentNullException

str is null.

Examples

The following example demonstrates how to use IsInterned to check whether strings are in the intern pool and to verify reference equality of interned strings.

// Sample for String.IsInterned(String)
using System;
using System.Text;

class Sample
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        // Constructed strings are not automatically interned.
        string s1 = new StringBuilder().Append("My").Append("Test").ToString();
        string s2 = new StringBuilder().Append("My").Append("Test").ToString();

        // Neither string is in the intern pool yet.
        Console.WriteLine($"Is s1 interned? {String.IsInterned(s1) != null}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Is s2 interned? {String.IsInterned(s2) != null}");

        // Intern s1 explicitly.
        string i1 = String.Intern(s1);

        // Now s2 can be found in the intern pool.
        string i2 = String.IsInterned(s2);

        Console.WriteLine($"Is s2 interned after interning s1? {i2 != null}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Are i1 and i2 the same reference? {Object.ReferenceEquals(i1, i2)}");
    }
}

// This example produces the following results:
//
// Is s1 interned? False
// Is s2 interned? False
// Is s2 interned after interning s1? True
// Are i1 and i2 the same reference? True

// Sample for String.IsInterned(String)
open System
open System.Text

// Constructed strings are not automatically interned.
let s1 = StringBuilder().Append("My").Append("Test").ToString()
let s2 = StringBuilder().Append("My").Append("Test").ToString()

// Neither string is in the intern pool yet.
printfn $"Is s1 interned? {String.IsInterned(s1) <> null}"
printfn $"Is s2 interned? {String.IsInterned(s2) <> null}"

// Intern s1 explicitly.
let i1 = String.Intern(s1)

// Now s2 can be found in the intern pool.
let i2 = String.IsInterned(s2)

printfn $"Is s2 interned after interning s1? {i2 <> null}"
printfn $"Are i1 and i2 the same reference? {Object.ReferenceEquals(i1, i2)}"

// This example produces the following results:
//
// Is s1 interned? False
// Is s2 interned? False
// Is s2 interned after interning s1? True
// Are i1 and i2 the same reference? True

' Constructed strings are not automatically interned.
Dim s1 As String = New StringBuilder().Append("My").Append("Test").ToString()
Dim s2 As String = New StringBuilder().Append("My").Append("Test").ToString()

' Neither string is in the intern pool yet.
Console.WriteLine($"Is s1 interned? {String.IsInterned(s1) IsNot Nothing}")
Console.WriteLine($"Is s2 interned? {String.IsInterned(s2) IsNot Nothing}")

' Intern s1 explicitly.
Dim i1 As String = String.Intern(s1)

' Now s2 can be found in the intern pool.
Dim i2 As String = String.IsInterned(s2)

Console.WriteLine($"Is s2 interned after interning s1? {i2 IsNot Nothing}")
Console.WriteLine($"Are i1 and i2 the same reference? {Object.ReferenceEquals(i1, i2)}")

' This example produces the following results:
'
' Is s1 interned? False
' Is s2 interned? False
' Is s2 interned after interning s1? True
' Are i1 and i2 the same reference? True

Remarks

The common language runtime automatically maintains a table, called the intern pool, which contains a single instance of each unique literal string constant declared in a program, as well as any unique instance of String you add programmatically by calling the Intern method.

The intern pool conserves string storage. If you assign a literal string constant to several variables, each variable is set to reference the same constant in the intern pool instead of referencing several different instances of String that have identical values.

This method looks up str in the intern pool. If str has already been interned, a reference to that instance is returned; otherwise, null is returned.

Compare this method to the Intern method.

This method does not return a Boolean value. If you call the method because you want a Boolean value that indicates whether a particular string is interned, you can use code such as the following.

using System;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      string str1 = "a";
      string str2 = str1 + "b";
      string str3 = str2 + "c";
      string[] strings = { "value", "part1" + "_" + "part2", str3, 
                           String.Empty, null };
      foreach (var value in strings) {
         if (value == null) continue;
         
         bool interned = String.IsInterned(value) != null;
         if (interned)
            Console.WriteLine("'{0}' is in the string intern pool.", 
                              value);
         else
            Console.WriteLine("'{0}' is not in the string intern pool.",
                              value);                      
      }
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       'value' is in the string intern pool.
//       'part1_part2' is in the string intern pool.
//       'abc' is not in the string intern pool.
//       '' is in the string intern pool.

open System

let str1 = "a"
let str2 = str1 + "b"
let str3 = str2 + "c"
let strings = 
    [| "value"; "part1" + "_" + "part2"; str3
       String.Empty; null |]
for value in strings do
    if value <> null then
        let interned = String.IsInterned(value) <> null
        if interned then
            printfn $"'{value}' is in the string intern pool."
        else
            printfn $"'{value}' is not in the string intern pool."
// The example displays the following output:
//       'value' is in the string intern pool.
//       'part1_part2' is in the string intern pool.
//       'abc' is not in the string intern pool.
//       '' is in the string intern pool.

Dim str1 As String = "a"
Dim str2 As String = str1 + "b"
Dim str3 As String = str2 + "c"
Dim strings() As String = {"value", "part1" + "_" + "part2", str3,
                            String.Empty, Nothing}
For Each value In strings
    If value Is Nothing Then Continue For

    Dim interned As Boolean = (String.IsInterned(value) IsNot Nothing)
    If interned Then
        Console.WriteLine($"'{value}' is in the string intern pool.")
    Else
        Console.WriteLine($"'{value}' is not in the string intern pool.")
    End If
Next

' The example displays the following output:
'       'value' is in the string intern pool.
'       'part1_part2' is in the string intern pool.
'       'abc' is not in the string intern pool.
'       '' is in the string intern pool.

See also

• Intern(String)