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C#, is this "if... else..." block equivalent to one line of code using null-coalescing operator

I'm curious if this block of code:
//value is an object, maybe null, maybe not
if (value == null)
item.PassageStimuliTitle = "";
else
item.PassageStimuliTitle = value.ToString().Trim();
is equivalent to this line:
item.PassageStimuliTitle = (string)(value ?? value.ToString().Trim());
I've used if... else... for a long time, but recently came across the null-coalescing operator in C#. I've used it to prevent null exception errors for params passed in method calls. I think using it in the example above is equivalent, and condenses the code from 4 lines to 1. Thanks for reading. Curious to hear feedback.
I'm expecting the two examples to be equivalent, but curious if there's something I'm missing.

No, the null-coalescing operator expression is not written correctly. a ?? b means "evaluate to b if a is null, otherwise evaluate to a". Therefore, your use of the null-coalescing operator will always produce a NullReferenceException if value is null - your code will try to evaluate value.ToString() when value is null.
Your use of ?? would translate to something like the following if statement, which I think you'd agree is quite non-sensical:
if (value == null) {
item.PassageStimuliTitle = (string)value.ToString().Trim();
} else {
item.PassageStimuliTitle = (string)value;
}
With certain assumptions, the if statement can be rewritten as:
item.PassageStimuliTitle = value?.ToString().Trim() ?? "";
This uses the null conditional operator ?.. If value is null, then the entire value?.ToString().Trim() expression is null, and hence the RHS of the ?? is evaluated. Otherwise, .ToString().Trim() is called on value.

item.PassageStimuliTitle = value != null ? value.ToString().Trim() : "";
From #Charles Mager comment:
item.PassageStimuliTitle = value?.ToString().Trim() ?? ""
Is a better and clearer one-liner.

You used ?? operator incorrectly.
In this example:
result = left_value ?? right_value;
?? operator returns left_value if it is NOT null.
If left_value is null, it returns right_value.
So, in your case, if variable value is of type object, it should be:
item.PassageStimuliTitle = (value ?? "").ToString().Trim();
Here is a successfully compiled code fiddle.

Does C# Have An Operation Similar to JavaScript's || Setter?

Does C# have a similar operation to JavaScript's || setter?
For example, in JavaScript, if I want to check if a value is null and set a default, I can do something like this:
function foo(val){
this.name = val || "foo";
}
But, when I want this functionality in C# I have to go this route:
public Foo(string val)
{
this.name = (string.IsNullOrEmpty(val) ? "foo" : val);
}
I know this is petty and that beggars can't be choosers but, if at all possible, I'd like to avoid getting any answers that involve crazy hacks or extension methods. I'm fine with using the ternary operator, but I was just curious if there was a language feature I'd missed.
Update:
Great answers all around, but J0HN and Anton hit it on the head. C# doesn't do "falsy" values like JavaScript would in the example above, so the ?? operator doesn't account for empty strings.
Thanks for your time and the great responses!

There's a null-coalescing operator in C#, though it can't handle all the quirkiness of JavaScript:
this.name = val ?? "foo";
Since an empty string is false in JavaScript, this C# code will behave differently from its JS counterpart.

There is a ?? operator that essentially is the same as COALESCE operator in SQL:
int? a = null; //int? - nullable int
int q = a??1; // q is set to one;
However, ?? does not check the string for emptiness, so it does not share the same meaning as javascript's ||, which treats empty strings as false as well.

You can use ??:
private int Foo(string val){
this.name = val ?? "foo";
}

Go with this
this.name = val ?? "foo";

Yep, use ??:
private int Foo(string val){
this.name = val ?? "foo";
}
Check Msdn for more information: ?? Operator

How to check if String is null

I am wondering if there is a special method/trick to check if a String object is null. I know about the String.IsNullOrEmpty method but I want to differentiate a null String from an empty String (="").
Should I simply use:
if (s == null) {
// blah blah...
}
...or is there another way?

An object can't be null - the value of an expression can be null. It's worth making the difference clear in your mind. The value of s isn't an object - it's a reference, which is either null or refers to an object.
And yes, you should just use
if (s == null)
Note that this will still use the overloaded == operator defined in string, but that will do the right thing.

You can use the null coalescing double question marks to test for nulls in a string or other nullable value type:
textBox1.Text = s ?? "Is null";
The operator '??' asks if the value of 's' is null and if not it returns 's'; if it is null it returns the value on the right of the operator.
More info here:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms173224.aspx
And also worth noting there's a null-conditional operator ?. and ?[ introduced in C# 6.0 (and VB) in VS2015
textBox1.Text = customer?.orders?[0].description ?? "n/a";
This returns "n/a" if description is null, or if the order is null, or if the customer is null, else it returns the value of description.
More info here:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn986595.aspx

To be sure, you should use a function to check for null and empty as below:
string str = ...
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(str))
{
...
}

If you are using C# 7.0 or above you can use is null:
if (s is null) {
// blah blah...
}
Also, note that when working with strings you might consider also using IsNullOrWhiteSpace that will also validate that the string doesn't contain only spaces.

For .net 5 (probably also for .net Core 3.1)
Different possibility to write but always the same problem.
string wep = test ?? "replace";
Console.WriteLine(wep);
result: "replace"
or
string test=null;
test ??= "replace";
Console.WriteLine(test);
test="";
test??="replace";
Console.WriteLine(test);
first try: "replace"
second try: blank
string test="";
if(test is null)
Console.WriteLine("yaouh");
else
Console.WriteLine("Not yahouu");
Result: "Not yahou"

You can check with null or Number.
First, add a reference to Microsoft.VisualBasic in your application.
Then, use the following code:
bool b = Microsoft.VisualBasic.Information.IsNumeric("null");
bool c = Microsoft.VisualBasic.Information.IsNumeric("abc");
In the above, b and c should both be false.

Negate the null-coalescing operator

I have a bunch of strings I need to use .Trim() on, but they can be null. It would be much more concise if I could do something like:
string endString = startString !?? startString.Trim();
Basically return the part on the right if the part on the left is NOT null, otherwise just return the null value. I just ended up using the ternary operator, but is there anyway to use the null-coalescing operator for this purpose?

You could create an extension method which returns null when it tries to trim the value.
public String TrimIfNotNull(this string item)
{
if(String.IsNullOrEmpty(item))
return item;
else
return item.Trim();
}
Note you can't name it Trim because extension methods can't override instance methods.

Not to spec: Not that I like it, but you could use:
string endString = (startString ?? String.Empty).Trim();
To spec, better as an Extension method like #Kevin's:
string endString = (startString == null ? null : startString.Trim());

string endString = string.IsNullOrEmpty(startString) ? startString : startString.Trim();
Though I've also gone the route of writing a string extension method called "safeTrim" which does what you're describing in one method instead of having to use this recipe every time. Check out Kevin's respone for the code.
EDIT: wow I had it all kinds of backwards, wrongly named variables and reversed ternary operators, all the more reason to write one extension method and code check it better than I did!

Starting with C# 6.0 (.NET Framework 4.6 / Visual Studio 2015) you can use null-conditional member access:
string? endString = startString?.Trim();

Sorry for the necromancy, but I was having this same problem and I solved this using a lambda operation. It isn't the prettiest, but it keeps my code succinct.
It's a shame C# doesn't support static imports or individual function imports, but anyway:
Define this function somewhere:
private static TResult N<TParent,TResult>(TParent parent, Func<TParent,TResult> operation) {
if( parent == null ) return default(TResult);
return operation( parent );
}
Then to use it in your example:
String endString = N(startString, s => s.Trim());
The N function returns null if the first argument is null, otherwise it will evaluate the specified lambda function with the value as the argument.
You can nest it, of course, like so. For example, to safely dereference a long chain, e.g.
String someValue = someObject.SomeProperty.SomeOtherProperty.SomeMethod().SomeFinalProperty;
if any of those properties or methods returns null then you have to insert null checks everywhere, or you could do this:
String someValue = N(N(N(N(someObject, o => o.SomeProperty), o => o.SomeOtherProperty), o => o.SomeMethod()), o => o.SomeFinalProperty);
As I said, it isn't the prettiest :)
You could simplify this by making N an extension method of System.Object, like so:
String someValue = someObject.N( o => o.SomeProperty ).N( o => o.SomeOtherProperty ).N( o => o.SomeMethod() ).N( o => o.SomeFinalProperty );
...which I think is a lot tidier.

Use
string endString = (startString ?? "").Trim();
This uses an empy string if startString is null. This, however, does not return null when endString is null.
Fast-forward to 2021:
10 years later startString?.Trim() is definitely the better option. And this does return null.

The following doesn't propagate null but it accepts null as a parameter and returns an empty string in that case.
using Microsoft.VisualBasic; // you need to add a reference to Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll
...
string endString = Strings.Trim(startString);
...
duck&run...

As as side note, if you're using .NET 4, there's a new convenient method String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace which you can use.

Shortest way to check for null and assign another value if not

I am pulling varchar values out of a DB and want to set the string I am assigning them to as "" if they are null. I'm currently doing it like this:
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(planRec.approved_by) == true)
this.approved_by = "";
else
this.approved_by = planRec.approved_by.toString();
There seems like there should be a way to do this in a single line something like:
this.approved_by = "" || planRec.approved_by.toString();
However I can't find an optimal way to do this. Is there a better way or is what I have the best way to do it?

Try this:
this.approved_by = IsNullOrEmpty(planRec.approved_by) ? "" : planRec.approved_by.toString();
You can also use the null-coalescing operator as other have said - since no one has given an example that works with your code here is one:
this.approved_by = planRec.approved_by ?? planRec.approved_by.toString();
But this example only works since a possible value for this.approved_by is the same as one of the potential values that you wish to set it to. For all other cases you will need to use the conditional operator as I showed in my first example.

Starting with C# 8.0, you can use the ??= operator to replace the code of the form
if (variable is null)
{
variable = expression;
}
with the following code:
variable ??= expression;
More information is here

You are looking for the C# coalesce operator: ??. This operator takes a left and right argument. If the left hand side of the operator is null or a nullable with no value it will return the right argument. Otherwise it will return the left.
var x = somePossiblyNullValue ?? valueIfNull;

The coalesce operator (??) is what you want, I believe.

My guess is the best you can come up with is
this.approved_by = IsNullOrEmpty(planRec.approved_by) ? string.Empty
: planRec.approved_by.ToString();
Of course since you're hinting at the fact that approved_by is an object (which cannot equal ""), this would be rewritten as
this.approved_by = (planRec.approved_by ?? string.Empty).ToString();

With C#6 there is a slightly shorter way for the case where planRec.approved_by is not a string:
this.approved_by = planRec.approved_by?.ToString() ?? "";

Use the C# coalesce operator: ??
// if Value is not null, newValue = Value else if Value is null newValue is YournullValue
var newValue = Value ?? YourNullReplacement;

To extend #Dave's answer...if planRec.approved_by is already a string
this.approved_by = planRec.approved_by ?? "";

The accepted answer was correct in time, when it was given.
For people still finding this question:
Today you can use the ??= Operator.
e.g:
private string _test = null;
private void InitIfNull(){
_test ??= "Init";
}

To assign a non-empty variable without repeating the actual variable name (and without assigning anything if variable is null!), you can use a little helper method with a Action parameter:
public static void CallIfNonEmpty(string value, Action<string> action)
{
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
action(value);
}
And then just use it:
CallIfNonEmpty(this.approved_by, (s) => planRec.approved_by = s);

You can also do it in your query, for instance in sql server, google ISNULL and CASE built-in functions.

I use extention method SelfChk
static class MyExt {
//Self Check
public static void SC(this string you,ref string me)
{
me = me ?? you;
}
}
Then use like
string a = null;
"A".SC(ref a);