StreamReader, ReadToEnd

When reading files, we often need to get the entire file into a string. Many Functions in VB.NET can be used for this, including File.ReadAllText.

But with StreamReader ReadToEnd, we have another option. If we are already using StreamReader in the program, ReadToEnd is a particularly good choice.

An example

We use the ReadToEnd method on a StreamReader, instance, so we should import System.IO. A Using-statement is the best way to use StreamReader.

Imports System.IO

Module Module1

    Sub Main()

        ' Wrap StreamReader in using block.
        Using streamReader As StreamReader = New StreamReader("C:\programs\file.txt")

            ' Get entire contents of file in string.
            Dim contents As String = streamReader.ReadToEnd()
            Console.WriteLine(contents)

        End Using
    End Sub

End Module
Thank you
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Notes

Some kinds of files, like CSV files, are best parsed with ReadLine. But for other kinds of files, like data files, ReadToEnd is a better choice.

A summary

In a recent project, ReadToEnd was valuable to me. It allowed the program to maintain more symmetry, a benefit over a Function like File.ReadAllText.