Replace not working when applied to an html string

Question

As an introduction, I have created a document using MS Word and then saved as html document. From C# I am building an unordered html list (using MS Word format) and then add it to the html document by replacing a specific tag.

I have below string variable unorderedHtmlList initially initialized to empty string. Then I am concatenating html string and replacing some tags enclosed by "[[" and "]]" characters. For some reason when I apply the Replace it is not replacing the items [[fieldName]] and [[fieldValue]] by the new values. See code below:

string unorderedHtmlList = string.Empty;

foreach (System.Data.DataRow row in myDataTable.Rows)
{
    string name = row["fieldName"].ToString();               
    string value = row["fieldValue"].ToString();

    unorderedHtmlList += "<p style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt;" +
                        "line-height:125%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><![if !supportLists]><span" +
                        "style='font-size:10.5pt;line-height:125%;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;" +                                        
                        "mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;color:#222222'><span" +
                        "style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt \"Times New Roman\"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;" +
                        "</span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:10.5pt;" +
                        "line-height:125%;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;color:#222222'>[[fieldName]]" +
                        "</span><span style='font-size:10.5pt;line-height:125%;font-family:" +
                        "\"Helvetica\",sans-serif;color:#222222'>[[fieldValue]]</span><span" +
                        "style='font-size:10.5pt;line-height:125%;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;" +
                        "color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></p>".Replace("[[fieldName]]", name).Replace("[[fieldValue]]", value);
}

Any ideas why Replace is not working?

What does it replace it with? Or does it leave the original value in place? — Nico
– Nico, Commented Apr 9, 2020 at 12:11
Put parenthesys around the string Ie: unorderedHtmlList += (.....).Replace(....) Probably there is some rules about constants strings, Pretty sure there is a duplicate somewhere — Steve
– Steve, Commented Apr 9, 2020 at 12:15
Looking at the IL generated it is clear now. The replace happens only on the last string then everything is concatenated together but the replace has already been called — Steve
– Steve, Commented Apr 9, 2020 at 12:24
@Steve, I don't want to look like it, I posted 9 seconds earlier, I'm not a borrower :) — Oguz Ozgul
– Oguz Ozgul, Commented Apr 9, 2020 at 12:26

Oguz Ozgul · Accepted Answer · 2020-04-09 12:24:11Z

2

You are concatanating the string and the replace operation is executed only on the last part.

"color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></p>".Replace("[[fieldName]]", name).Replace("[[fieldValue]]", value);

Try this:

        unorderedHtmlList += ("<p style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt;" +
                            "line-height:125%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><![if !supportLists]><span" +
                            "style='font-size:10.5pt;line-height:125%;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;" +
                            "mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;color:#222222'><span" +
                            "style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt \"Times New Roman\"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;" +
                            "</span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:10.5pt;" +
                            "line-height:125%;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;color:#222222'>[[fieldName]]" +
                            "</span><span style='font-size:10.5pt;line-height:125%;font-family:" +
                            "\"Helvetica\",sans-serif;color:#222222'>[[fieldValue]]</span><span" +
                            "style='font-size:10.5pt;line-height:125%;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;" +
                            "color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></p>").Replace("[[fieldName]]", name).Replace("[[fieldValue]]", value);

answered Apr 9, 2020 at 12:24

Oguz Ozgul

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1 Comment

Willy Over a year ago

Ops, sorry. You are right this was being applied to the last string not the full string. I forgot the parentheses. What a silly mistake! Thanks!

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