Is String.replace any faster than String.split ... String.join in ActionScript 3?

Question

Is it any faster to use

myString.replace(/foo/g,"bar")

rather than

myString.split("foo").join("bar")

for long strings in ActionScript 3? Or are they just two comparable methods of achieving the same result?

Answer 1

I used gSkinners PerformaceTest to run a quick test on this. I think the difference is minimal at best. I would say that replace() would be the preferred option purely because that is what you want to achieve. Using split().join() is not as clear in its intent.

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Using replace() (10000 iterations)
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method...................................................ttl ms...avg ms
[function]                                                   57     0.01
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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Using split().join() (10000 iterations)
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
method...................................................ttl ms...avg ms
[function]                                                   61     0.01
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