"Decode" special characters: %c3 -> Ö, %20 -> Space, etc

Question

I want to implement a little Dropdown that will show Items that I searched for in a folder.

So, the problem is that I'm German and we have characters like Ä, Ö, Ü etc.

These characters are shown in a strange way. For example, the char Ö is "%c3". Also, spaces are shown as "%20".

Is there a simple way to change them without the string.Replace function?

My code:

try
{
    string dirPath = (Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyDocuments) + 
        "\\Arma 3 - Other Profiles");

    List<string> dirs = new List<string>(Directory.EnumerateDirectories(dirPath));

    foreach (var dir in dirs)
    {
        HttpUtility.UrlDecode(dir);
        MessageBox.Show(dir);
        comboBox1.Items.Add(dir.ToString());
    }
}
catch (UnauthorizedAccessException UAEx)
{
    Console.WriteLine(UAEx.Message);
}
catch (PathTooLongException PathEx)
{
    Console.WriteLine(PathEx.Message);
}

Can you give some code how you are filling dropdown currently? — Panu Oksala, Dec 22 '15 at 18:37
yes because it sounds like you are using a UrlEncode mechanism somewhere... — MaxOvrdrv, Dec 22 '15 at 18:38
Are these URL encoded strings? `%20` is the URL encoded space character at least. Have you tried decoding this way: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1405048/how-do-i-decode-a-url-parameter-using-c? — ScoobyDrew18, Dec 22 '15 at 18:48

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 22 '15 at 18:51

3

You can use :

HttpUtility.UrlDecode(myString)

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/4fkewx0t(v=vs.110).aspx

answered Dec 22 '15 at 18:51

Quentin Roger

6,410
2
23
36

This wasnt really helpfull. Its still in this way! – DERYANNEK Dec 22 '15 at 19:40

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 22 '15 at 20:32

2

Here:

HttpUtility.UrlDecode(dir);

you UrlDecode the string and then throw away the result. You probably wanted to write:

dir = HttpUtility.UrlDecode(dir);

answered Dec 22 '15 at 20:32

Heinzi

167,459
57
363
519

"Decode" special characters: %c3 -> Ö, %20 -> Space, etc

2 Answers2