How to default null session values to blank strings in C#

Question

I'm used to using VB.net for web programming.

Often, I have something like:

Dim s as string = Session("s")

I get a string value for s from the web session. If there is no value in the web session, I get a blank string.

However, AFAIK, in C#, I have to have something like the code below to do the same thing.

string s;
try { s = Session["s"].ToString(); }
catch { s = ""; }

Is there an easier way to do this?

Answer 1

This is a quick way of doing this:

s = (string)Session["s"] ?? "";

This will cast Session["s"] to a string, and if it is not null, return the value. If it is null, it will return an empty string. The "a ?? b" expression is essentially the same as "a != null ? a:b" (?? is compiled more efficiently though)

Something else to keep in mind: you should never use exceptions for normal application logic.