Pass command line empty string arguments to C# console application.

[powerumc]

I wrote simple console application.

using System;

namespace commandline_test
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"CommandLine={Environment.CommandLine}");

            foreach(var arg in args) {
                Console.WriteLine($"'arg={arg}'");
            }
        }
    }
}

I need to pass empty string arguments to C# console application.
But some shell, some framework can not.
Why difference is it?

The test results

• .Net Framework depends on shell.

• .Net core is ignore empty string alway.

• PowerShell is ignore empty string alway.

• Mono is only bash.

• Windows

  • PowerShell
    • (.net framework) a.exe --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg='--b'
    • (.net framework) a.exe --a """" --b """"
      • arg='--a'
      • arg=' --b '
    • (mono) mono a.exe --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg='--b'
    • (.net core) dotnet run --a "" --b ""
      • 'arg='--a'
      • arg='--b'
  • Cmd
    • (.net framework) a.exe --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg=''
      • arg='--b'
      • arg=''
    • (mono) mono a.exe --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg=''
      • arg='--b'
      • arg=''
    • (.net core) dotnet run --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg='--b'

• Mac

  • bash
    • (mono) mono a.exe --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg=''
      • arg='--b'
      • arg=''
    • (.net core) dotnet run --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg='--b'
    • (bash script) ./a.sh --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg=''
      • arg='--b'
      • arg=''
  • pwsh
    • (mono) mono a.exe --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a’
      • arg='--b'
    • (.net core) dotnet run --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg='--b'

• Linux

  • bash
    • (mono) mono a.exe --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg=''
      • arg='--b'
      • arg=''
    • (.net core) dotnet run --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg='--b'
    • (bash script) ./a.sh --a "" --b ""
      • arg='--a'
      • arg=''
      • arg='--b'
      • arg=''

[ghost]

Interesting! What version(s) of Framework/Core/Mono have you tried this in? Curious that this has not broken a lot of applications out there that parse their commandlines.

[powerumc]

@sujayvsarma
I did compiled the version.

• .NET Framework: 4.7.2 (msbuild: 16.0.40.50150)
• .NET Core: 2.2 (2.2.105)
• Mono: Mono JIT compiler version 5.16.0

[powerumc]

Is this a bug, or is there a plan to improve it?