Question

I need a string that I can use for page header. The problem is when i use vbcrlf then i don’t know how to come back up and write.
Example:

dim MyStr As String = "Amount to be" & vbcrlf & "Deducted in This Month" & VbCrLf

MyStr &= "Amount Paid Last" & VbCrLf & "Month" & VbCrLf

This Gives me Output

Amount to be
Deducted in This Month
Amount Paid Last
Month

‘—I Want the Output like this

Amount to be                               Amount Paid Last
Deducted in This Month                     Month

‘Please help me to findout the solution.

Answer 1

You should always use composite formatting in a case like this. Be sure to read up on it in the MSDN Library. A key feature to take advantage of here is its ability to align the text and pad it with spaces. The format specifier should look like {n,w:c} where n is the argument number, w is the width of the generated string and c is the desired format. Use a negative value for w to align the text to the left.

So code like this:

    Dim ToBePaid As Decimal = 1.23
    Dim Deducted As Decimal = 0.04
    Dim PaidLast As Decimal = 2.45
    Dim PayDate As DateTime = DateTime.Now
    Dim MyStr = String.Format("{0,-10:C}{1,20:C}", ToBePaid, PaidLast) + vbCrLf + _
                String.Format("{0,-10:C}{1,20:MMMM}", Deducted, PayDate)
    Console.WriteLine(MyStr)

Produces this output:

$1.23                    $2.45
$0.04                    March

It will only look properly aligned if you look at the file with a file viewer that uses a fixed-pitch font.