Is there a method in C# to check if a string is a valid identifier [duplicate]

Answer 1

Recently, I wrote an extension method that validates a string as a valid C# identifier.

You can find a gist with the implementation here: https://gist.github.com/FabienDehopre/5245476

It's based on the MSDN documentation of Identifier (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa664670(v=vs.71).aspx)

public static bool IsValidIdentifier(this string identifier)
{
    if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(identifier)) return false;

    // C# keywords: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/x53a06bb(v=vs.71).aspx
    var keywords = new[]
                       {
                           "abstract",  "event",      "new",        "struct",
                           "as",        "explicit",   "null",       "switch",
                           "base",      "extern",     "object",     "this",
                           "bool",      "false",      "operator",   "throw",
                           "breal",     "finally",    "out",        "true",
                           "byte",      "fixed",      "override",   "try",
                           "case",      "float",      "params",     "typeof",
                           "catch",     "for",        "private",    "uint",
                           "char",      "foreach",    "protected",  "ulong",
                           "checked",   "goto",       "public",     "unchekeced",
                           "class",     "if",         "readonly",   "unsafe",
                           "const",     "implicit",   "ref",        "ushort",
                           "continue",  "in",         "return",     "using",
                           "decimal",   "int",        "sbyte",      "virtual",
                           "default",   "interface",  "sealed",     "volatile",
                           "delegate",  "internal",   "short",      "void",
                           "do",        "is",         "sizeof",     "while",
                           "double",    "lock",       "stackalloc",
                           "else",      "long",       "static",
                           "enum",      "namespace",  "string"
                       };

    // definition of a valid C# identifier: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa664670(v=vs.71).aspx
    const string formattingCharacter = @"\p{Cf}";
    const string connectingCharacter = @"\p{Pc}";
    const string decimalDigitCharacter = @"\p{Nd}";
    const string combiningCharacter = @"\p{Mn}|\p{Mc}";
    const string letterCharacter = @"\p{Lu}|\p{Ll}|\p{Lt}|\p{Lm}|\p{Lo}|\p{Nl}";
    const string identifierPartCharacter = letterCharacter + "|" +
                                           decimalDigitCharacter + "|" +
                                           connectingCharacter + "|" +
                                           combiningCharacter + "|" +
                                           formattingCharacter;
    const string identifierPartCharacters = "(" + identifierPartCharacter + ")+";
    const string identifierStartCharacter = "(" + letterCharacter + "|_)";
    const string identifierOrKeyword = identifierStartCharacter + "(" +
                                       identifierPartCharacters + ")*";
    var validIdentifierRegex = new Regex("^" + identifierOrKeyword + "$", RegexOptions.Compiled);
    var normalizedIdentifier = identifier.Normalize();

    // 1. check that the identifier match the validIdentifer regex and it's not a C# keyword
    if (validIdentifierRegex.IsMatch(normalizedIdentifier) && !keywords.Contains(normalizedIdentifier))
    {
        return true;
    }

    // 2. check if the identifier starts with @
    if (normalizedIdentifier.StartsWith("@") && validIdentifierRegex.IsMatch(normalizedIdentifier.Substring(1)))
    {
        return true;
    }

    // 3. it's not a valid identifier
    return false;
}