C# Escape Sequences: Representing Special Characters in Strings
Learn how to use escape sequences in C# to represent special characters (newline, tab, backslash, etc.) within strings. This tutorial explains common escape sequences, demonstrates their usage, and shows how to use verbatim strings (`@`) for handling strings with many backslashes, improving code readability and simplifying string manipulation.
Escape Sequences in C#
Escape sequences in C# are special character combinations that represent characters that are difficult to type directly or have a special meaning within the language. They begin with a backslash (`\`).
Common Escape Sequences
| Escape Sequence | Description |
|---|---|
\n |
Newline (line break) |
\t |
Horizontal tab |
\r |
Carriage return |
\b |
Backspace |
\a |
Bell (makes a sound) |
\f |
Form feed |
\v |
Vertical tab |
\' |
Single quote |
\" |
Double quote |
\xhh |
Unicode character (hexadecimal `hh`) |
\uhhhh |
Unicode character (hexadecimal `hhhh`) |
\Uhhhhhhhh |
Unicode character (hexadecimal `hhhhhhhh`) |
Examples
Newline (`\n`)
Console.WriteLine("Line 1\nLine 2");
Tab (`\t`)
Console.WriteLine("Name\tAge");
Console.WriteLine("Alice\t30");
Unicode Character (`\xhh`, `\uhhhh`, `\Uhhhhhhhh`)
Console.WriteLine("\u20AC"); // Euro symbol (€)
Verbatim String Literals (`@`)
Verbatim strings, created using the `@` symbol before the string literal, treat backslashes as literal characters. This is useful for file paths and other strings containing many backslashes.
string filePath = @"C:\MyFolder\myfile.txt";
Note: Verbatim strings must be enclosed in double quotes (`""`). To include a double quote *within* a verbatim string, use two double quotes in a row (`""`).