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C# Reverse String (How It Works For Developers)

Published June 6, 2024

Introduction

String manipulation is a fundamental aspect of programming, and one common task is reversing an input string. In C#, there are several ways to accomplish this task such as while loop, each with its advantages, disadvantages, and best use cases. In this article, we will explore various methods to reverse a string or character array in C#, along with code examples for different scenarios and edge cases. Also, we will introduce an outstanding PDF generation library called IronPDF from Iron Software.

1. Using Built-in Functions

C# provides several built-in functions for string manipulation, and one of them is Array.Reverse(), which can be used to reverse an array of characters or a char array representing a string. Here's a code example of the reverse method:

public class Program
{
// static void main
    public static void Main()
    {
        string original = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // string variable
    char[] charArray = original.ToCharArray();
    Array.Reverse(charArray);// static string reverse method 
    string reversed = new string(charArray); // reversed string
    Console.WriteLine(reversed); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
    }
}

public class Program
{
// static void main
    public static void Main()
    {
        string original = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // string variable
    char[] charArray = original.ToCharArray();
    Array.Reverse(charArray);// static string reverse method 
    string reversed = new string(charArray); // reversed string
    Console.WriteLine(reversed); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
    }
}

Public Class Program
' static void main
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		Dim original As String = "AwesomeIronPDF" ' string variable
	Dim charArray() As Char = original.ToCharArray()
	Array.Reverse(charArray) ' static string reverse method
	Dim reversed As New String(charArray) ' reversed string
	Console.WriteLine(reversed) ' Output: FDPnorIemosewA
	End Sub
End Class

VB C#

Advantages

Simple and concise code.
Utilizes built-in functions, reducing the need for custom implementation.

Disadvantages

Requires converting the string to a character array, which consumes additional memory.
Not suitable for scenarios where performance is critical.

2. Using a `StringBuilder`

Another approach to reverse a string in C# is by utilizing the StringBuilder class, which provides efficient string manipulation operations. Here's how you can use StringBuilder to reverse a string:

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string someText = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // string variable
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        for (int i = someText.Length - 1; i >= 0; i--)
        {
            sb.Append(someText[i]);
        }
        string reversed = sb.ToString(); // reversed string variable
        Console.WriteLine(reversed); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
    }
}

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string someText = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // string variable
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        for (int i = someText.Length - 1; i >= 0; i--)
        {
            sb.Append(someText[i]);
        }
        string reversed = sb.ToString(); // reversed string variable
        Console.WriteLine(reversed); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
    }
}

Public Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		Dim someText As String = "AwesomeIronPDF" ' string variable
		Dim sb As New StringBuilder()
		For i As Integer = someText.Length - 1 To 0 Step -1
			sb.Append(someText.Chars(i))
		Next i
		Dim reversed As String = sb.ToString() ' reversed string variable
		Console.WriteLine(reversed) ' Output: FDPnorIemosewA
	End Sub
End Class

VB C#

Advantages

Efficient memory usage, especially for large strings.
Suitable for scenarios where performance is crucial.

Disadvantages

Requires manual iteration over the characters of the original string.
Slightly more verbose compared to using built-in functions.

3. Recursive Approach

A recursive approach can also be used to reverse a string in C#. This method involves recursively swapping characters from both ends of the string until the entire string is reversed. Here's an implementation:

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string someText = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // random string
        string reversed = ReverseString(someText); // reverse a string
        Console.WriteLine(reversed); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
    }
    // public static string reverse method
    public static string ReverseString(string str) 
    {
        if (str.Length <= 1)
            return str;
        return ReverseString(str.Substring(1)) + str[0];
    }
}

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string someText = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // random string
        string reversed = ReverseString(someText); // reverse a string
        Console.WriteLine(reversed); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
    }
    // public static string reverse method
    public static string ReverseString(string str) 
    {
        if (str.Length <= 1)
            return str;
        return ReverseString(str.Substring(1)) + str[0];
    }
}

Public Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		Dim someText As String = "AwesomeIronPDF" ' random string
		Dim reversed As String = ReverseString(someText) ' reverse a string
		Console.WriteLine(reversed) ' Output: FDPnorIemosewA
	End Sub
	' public static string reverse method
	Public Shared Function ReverseString(ByVal str As String) As String
		If str.Length <= 1 Then
			Return str
		End If
		Return ReverseString(str.Substring(1)) + str.Chars(0)
	End Function
End Class

VB C#

Advantages

Elegant and concise code.
Can be useful in scenarios where recursion is preferred or required.

Disadvantages

May result in stack overflow for extremely long strings due to recursive function calls.
Less efficient compared to iterative approaches, especially for large strings.

Edge Cases

When reversing strings, it's essential to consider edge cases to ensure robustness and correctness. Some edge cases to consider include:

Empty string: Handling scenarios where the input string is empty.
Null string: Handling scenarios where the input string is null.
Strings with special characters: Ensuring that special characters are correctly handled during reversal.

Generate PDF Document Using C# String Reverse Method

Start by creating a Console application from Visual Studio.

C# Reverse String (How It Works For Developers): Figure 1 - Console App

Provide the Project name and Location.

C# Reverse String (How It Works For Developers): Figure 2 - Project Configuration

Select the .NET version.

C# Reverse String (How It Works For Developers): Figure 3 - Target Framework

Install IronPDF to the created project.

C# Reverse String (How It Works For Developers): Figure 4 - IronPDF

It can also be done using the below command line.

dotnet add package IronPdf --version 2024.4.2

Write the below code to demonstrate String Reverse.

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        var content = "<h1>Demonstrate IronPDF with C# LinkedList</h1>";
        content += "<h2>1. Using Array.Reverse Method</h2>";
        string someText = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // new string variable
        content += $"<p>Input String: {original}</p>";
        char[] charArray = someText.ToCharArray();
        Array.Reverse(charArray);// static string reverse method 
        string reversed1 = new string(charArray); // reversed string
        Console.WriteLine(reversed1); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
        content += $"<p>output: {reversed1}</p>";
        content += "<h2>2. Using StringBuilder</h2>";
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        content += $"<p>Input String: {original}</p>";
        for (int i = someText.Length - 1; i >= 0; i--)
        {
            sb.Append(original[i]);
        }
        string reversed2 = sb.ToString();
        content += $"<p>output: {reversed2}</p>";
        content += "<h2>3. Using Recursive Approach</h2>";
        content += $"<p>Input String: {someText}</p>";
        string reversed3 = ReverseString(someText);
        Console.WriteLine(reversed3); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
        content += $"<p>output: {reversed3}</p>";
        // create Renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        // Create a PDF from HTML string
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(content);
        // Save to a file or Stream
        pdf.SaveAs("reverseString.pdf");
    }
    public static string ReverseString(string str)
    {
        if (str.Length <= 1)
            return str;
        return ReverseString(str.Substring(1)) + str[0];
    }    
}

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        var content = "<h1>Demonstrate IronPDF with C# LinkedList</h1>";
        content += "<h2>1. Using Array.Reverse Method</h2>";
        string someText = "AwesomeIronPDF"; // new string variable
        content += $"<p>Input String: {original}</p>";
        char[] charArray = someText.ToCharArray();
        Array.Reverse(charArray);// static string reverse method 
        string reversed1 = new string(charArray); // reversed string
        Console.WriteLine(reversed1); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
        content += $"<p>output: {reversed1}</p>";
        content += "<h2>2. Using StringBuilder</h2>";
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        content += $"<p>Input String: {original}</p>";
        for (int i = someText.Length - 1; i >= 0; i--)
        {
            sb.Append(original[i]);
        }
        string reversed2 = sb.ToString();
        content += $"<p>output: {reversed2}</p>";
        content += "<h2>3. Using Recursive Approach</h2>";
        content += $"<p>Input String: {someText}</p>";
        string reversed3 = ReverseString(someText);
        Console.WriteLine(reversed3); // Output: FDPnorIemosewA
        content += $"<p>output: {reversed3}</p>";
        // create Renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        // Create a PDF from HTML string
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(content);
        // Save to a file or Stream
        pdf.SaveAs("reverseString.pdf");
    }
    public static string ReverseString(string str)
    {
        if (str.Length <= 1)
            return str;
        return ReverseString(str.Substring(1)) + str[0];
    }    
}

Public Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		Dim content = "<h1>Demonstrate IronPDF with C# LinkedList</h1>"
		content &= "<h2>1. Using Array.Reverse Method</h2>"
		Dim someText As String = "AwesomeIronPDF" ' new string variable
		content &= $"<p>Input String: {original}</p>"
		Dim charArray() As Char = someText.ToCharArray()
		Array.Reverse(charArray) ' static string reverse method
		Dim reversed1 As New String(charArray) ' reversed string
		Console.WriteLine(reversed1) ' Output: FDPnorIemosewA
		content &= $"<p>output: {reversed1}</p>"
		content &= "<h2>2. Using StringBuilder</h2>"
		Dim sb As New StringBuilder()
		content &= $"<p>Input String: {original}</p>"
		For i As Integer = someText.Length - 1 To 0 Step -1
			sb.Append(original(i))
		Next i
		Dim reversed2 As String = sb.ToString()
		content &= $"<p>output: {reversed2}</p>"
		content &= "<h2>3. Using Recursive Approach</h2>"
		content &= $"<p>Input String: {someText}</p>"
		Dim reversed3 As String = ReverseString(someText)
		Console.WriteLine(reversed3) ' Output: FDPnorIemosewA
		content &= $"<p>output: {reversed3}</p>"
		' create Renderer
		Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
		' Create a PDF from HTML string
		Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(content)
		' Save to a file or Stream
		pdf.SaveAs("reverseString.pdf")
	End Sub
	Public Shared Function ReverseString(ByVal str As String) As String
		If str.Length <= 1 Then
			Return str
		End If
		Return ReverseString(str.Substring(1)) + str.Chars(0)
	End Function
End Class

VB C#

Output

C# Reverse String (How It Works For Developers): Figure 5 - PDF Output

License (Trial Available for IronPDF)

IronPDF library requires a license to execute applications. More info can be found on the IronPDF Licensing Information page.

A trial license can be obtained from the IronPDF Trial License page.

Paste the Key in the appSettings.json file below.

{
  "IronPdf.License.LicenseKey" = "The Key Goes Here"
}

Conclusion

Reversing a string in C# is a common programming task with various approaches and considerations. Whether you prefer built-in functions, StringBuilder, or recursive methods, each approach has its advantages, disadvantages, and best use cases. By understanding these methods and considering edge cases, you can effectively reverse strings in C# in a manner that suits your specific requirements. Choose the method that best fits your requirements based on performance, memory usage, and handling of special characters.

With the IronPDF library for C# PDF operations, developers can gain advanced skills to develop modern applications.

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