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In VB.Net you can use strings as array of characters, however, more common practice is to use the String keyword to declare a string variable. The string keyword is an alias for the System.String class.

Creating a String Object

You can create string object using one of the following methods:

• By assigning a string literal to a String variable

• By using a String class constructor

• By using the string concatenation operator (+)

• By retrieving a property or calling a method that returns a string

• By calling a formatting method to convert a value or object to its string representation

The following example demonstrates this:

Module strings
   Sub Main()
      Dim fname, lname, fullname, greetings As String
      fname = "Rowan"
      lname = "Atkinson"
      fullname = fname + " " + lname
      Console.WriteLine("Full Name: {0}", fullname)

     'by using string constructor
      Dim letters As Char() = {"H", "e", "l", "l", "o"}
      greetings = New String(letters)
      Console.WriteLine("Greetings: {0}", greetings)

      'methods returning String
      Dim sarray() As String = {"Hello", "From", "Tutorials", "Point"}
      Dim message As String = String.Join(" ", sarray)
      Console.WriteLine("Message: {0}", message)

      'formatting method to convert a value 
      Dim waiting As DateTime = New DateTime(2012, 12, 12, 17, 58, 1)
      Dim chat As String = String.Format("Message sent at {0:t} on {0:D}", waiting)
      Console.WriteLine("Message: {0}", chat)
      Console.ReadLine()
   End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces following result:

Full Name: Rowan Atkinson
Greetings: Hello
Message: Hello From Tutorials Point
Message: Message sent at 5:58 PM on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Properties of the String Class

The String class has the following two properties:

Methods of the String Class

The String class has numerous methods that help you in working with the string objects. The following table provides some of the most commonly used methods:

The above list of methods is not exhaustive, please visit MSDN library for the complete list of methods and String class constructors.

Examples:

The following example demonstrates some of the methods mentioned above:

Comparing Strings:

#include <include.h>
Module strings
   Sub Main()
      Dim str1, str2 As String
      str1 = "This is test"
      str2 = "This is text"
      If (String.Compare(str1, str2) = 0) Then
          Console.WriteLine(str1 + " and " + str2 +
                            " are equal.")
      Else
          Console.WriteLine(str1 + " and " + str2 +
                            " are not equal.")
      End If
      Console.ReadLine()
   End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces following result:

This is test and This is text are not equal.

String Contains String:

Module strings
   Sub Main()
      Dim str1 As String
      str1 = "This is test"
      If (str1.Contains("test")) Then
          Console.WriteLine("The sequence 'test' was found.")
      End If
      Console.ReadLine()
   End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces following result:

The sequence 'test' was found.

Getting a Substring:

Module strings
   Sub Main()
      Dim str As String
      str = "Last night I dreamt of San Pedro"
      Console.WriteLine(str)
      Dim substr As String = str.Substring(23)
      Console.WriteLine(substr)
      Console.ReadLine()
   End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces following result:

Last night I dreamt of San Pedro
San Pedro.

Joining Strings:

Module strings
   Sub Main()
      Dim strarray As String() = {"Down the way where the nights are gay",
                          "And the sun shines daily on the mountain top",
                           "I took a trip on a sailing ship",
                          "And when I reached Jamaica",
                          "I made a stop"}
      Dim str As String = String.Join(vbCrLf, strarray)
      Console.WriteLine(str)
      Console.ReadLine()
   End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces following result:

Down the way where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountain top
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Jamaica
I made a stop