What is better: int.TryParse or try { int.Parse() } catch

c# .net parsing type-conversion tryparse
renanleandrof picture renanleandrof · Feb 9, 2011 · Viewed 42.2k times · Source

I know.. I know... Performance is not the main concern here, but just for curiosity, what is better?

bool parsed = int.TryParse(string, out num);
if (parsed)
...

OR

try {
    int.Parse(string);
}
catch () {
    do something...
}

Answer

Fredrik Mörk picture Fredrik Mörk · Feb 9, 2011

Better is highly subjective. For instance, I personally prefer int.TryParse, since I most often don't care why the parsing fails, if it fails. However, int.Parse can (according to the documentation) throw three different exceptions:

  • the input is null
  • the input is not in a valid format
  • the input contains a number that produces an overflow

If you care about why it fails, then int.Parse is clearly the better choice.

As always, context is king.

Related questions

What is the best way to parse html in C#?

I'm looking for a library/method to parse an html file with more html specific features than generic xml parsing libraries.

Read More
Get url parameters from a string in .NET

I've got a string in .NET which is actually a url. I want an easy way to get the value from a particular parameter. Normally, I'd just use Request.Params["theThingIWant"], but this string isn't from the request. I can …

Read More
Parse string to DateTime in C#

I have date and time in a string formatted like that one: "2011-03-21 13:26" //year-month-day hour:minute How can I parse it to System.DateTime? I want to use functions like DateTime.Parse() or DateTime.ParseExact() if possible, to be …

Read More