Returning an array of strings VS Out parameter.

If you want to know something obscure about performance comparisons, the best thing to do is to check for yourself: that way you get actual numbers to work with. Fortunately, .NET supplies the Stopwatch class[^] for just such events.

     string[] ar = File.ReadAllLines(@"F:\Temp\JustSomeText.txt");
     Stopwatch sOut = new Stopwatch();
     sOut.Start();
     for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
         {
         stringsOut(out ar);
         }
     sOut.Stop();
     Stopwatch sRet = new Stopwatch();
     sRet.Start();
     for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
         {
         ar = stringsRet();
         }
     sRet.Stop();
     Console.WriteLine("Out: {0}\nRet: {1}", sOut.ElapsedMilliseconds, sRet.ElapsedMilliseconds);

private void stringsOut(out string[] par)
     {
     par = File.ReadAllLines(@"F:\Temp\JustSomeText.txt");
     }
 private string[] stringsRet()
     {
     return File.ReadAllLines(@"F:\Temp\JustSomeText.txt");
     }

Running this three times gives the results:

Out: 296
Ret: 269
Out: 265
Ret: 270
Out: 273
Ret: 279

So in practice? No difference!: laugh:

[edit]:Doh: I forgot the two routines - OriginalGriff[/edit]