String concatenation VS string format

Question

What is the best approach, simple string concatenation or string.format?

For instance, what is the better to use:

 s:=v1+\' \'+v2 
         


        

Answer 1

Format works with internationalization, making it possible to localize your app. Concatenation does not. Hence, I favor format for any display which may have to be produced in a culture-dependent manner.

Update: The reason format works for internationalization is that not all languages express everything in the same order. A contrived example would be:

resourcestring
    sentence = ' is ';

var
    subject = 'Craig';
    adjective = 'helpful';
begin
   WriteLn(subject + sentence + adjective + '!');

This works, and I can customize with a resourcestring, but in Spanish I would write, "¡Qué servicial es Craig!" The resourcestring doesn't help me. Instead I should write:

resourcestring
    sentence = '%S is %S!'; // ES: '¡Qué %1:S es %0:S!'