C# Extension Method for String Data Type

c#, extension-methods, numbers, string

Solution

Are you expecting users of different 'cultures' to use your application? If so it's better to factor in the user's regional settings:

static decimal ToDecimal(this string str)
{
    return Decimal.Parse(str, CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);
}

Or you could replace every character in str that isn't a digit or the `CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.NumberFormat.CurrencyDecimalSeparator` value and then parse it as a decimal.

EDIT: It is generally accepted that extension methods should have their own namespace. This will avoid naming conflicts and force the end user to selectively import the extensions they need.

Problem

My web application deals with strings that need to be converted to numbers a lot - users often put commas, units (like cm, m, g, kg) and currency symbols in these fields so what I want to do is create a string extension method that cleans the field up and converts it to a decimal. For example: ``` decimal myNumber = "15 cm".ToDecimal(); ```

Original source