c# - How do I write a backslash () in a string?

Question

I want to write something like this C:UsersUserNameDocumentsTasks in a textbox:

txtPath.Text = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyDocuments)+"Tasks";

I get the error:

Unrecognized escape sequence.

How do I write a backslash in a string?

Answer 1

The backslash ("") character is a special escape character used to indicate other special characters such as new lines ( ), tabs (), or quotation marks (").

If you want to include a backslash character itself, you need two backslashes or use the @ verbatim string:

var s = "\Tasks";
// or 
var s = @"Tasks";

Read the MSDN documentation/C# Specification which discusses the characters that are escaped using the backslash character and the use of the verbatim string literal.

Generally speaking, most C# .NET developers tend to favour using the @ verbatim strings when building file/folder paths since it saves them from having to write double backslashes all the time and they can directly copy/paste the path, so I would suggest that you get in the habit of doing the same.

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That all said, in this case, I would actually recommend you use the Path.Combine utility method as in @lordkain's answer as then you don't need to worry about whether backslashes are already included in the paths and accidentally doubling-up the slashes or omitting them altogether when combining parts of paths.