stride3d/stride · error · ArgumentException

can't be an empty string.

Error message

{paramName} can't be an empty string.

What it means

ArgumentCheck.NotEmpty (string overload) throws ArgumentException when a string variable is the empty string (Length == 0). Null is rejected separately by NotNull first. This enforces that string parameters must contain at least one character.

Solutions

1. Supply a non-empty string value before the call
2. Trim/validate user or config input and reject empty strings early with a clearer message
3. Check string.IsNullOrEmpty(variable) in the caller and handle it with a default or error
4. If whitespace-only should also fail, use NotWhiteSpace instead and validate with string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace

Example fix

// before
var name = config["AssetName"]; // ""
ArgumentCheck.NotEmpty(name, nameof(name));
// after
var name = config["AssetName"];
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(name))
    throw new InvalidDataException("AssetName must be a non-empty string");

if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
    throw new ArgumentException("A non-empty string is required", nameof(value));

bool IsPresent([NotNullWhen(true)] string? s) => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(s);

try { NotEmpty(name, nameof(name)); }
catch (ArgumentException ex) when (ex.ParamName == nameof(name))
{
    // prompt user / substitute default
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ArgumentCheck.NotEmpty(variable, variableName) with string.Empty or "" (e.g. ""); a name/identifier field initialized to empty rather than a real value.

Common situations: Empty asset name or package name read from a form or config file; string.Split producing an empty first token; uninitialized string properties submitted by a UI.

Understand the failure class

Background: "must not be empty", "cannot be empty" — required-field validation errors across open-source libraries — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

• can't be null, empty, or consist only of whitespace…
• cannot be equal to .
• cannot be empty.
• ArgumentNullException: paramName
• Custom strides is not supported with packed PixelFormats

AI-assisted analysis of stride3d/stride@96fad776d2 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b0200b642b60507b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sources/editor/Stride.Core.Assets.Editor/ArgumentCheck.cs:137

        /// <remarks>
        /// Before checking the <paramref name="variable"/>, a call is made to
        /// <see cref="NotNull"/>.
        /// </remarks>
        /// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">
        /// The <paramref name="variable"/> cannot be <see langword="null"/>.
        /// </exception>
        /// <exception cref="ArgumentException">
        /// The <paramref name="variable"/> cannot be an empty <see cref="string"/>.
        /// </exception>
        [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
        public static void NotEmpty(string variable, string variableName)
        {
            var paramName = variableName ?? "The variable";
            // Variable cannot be null
            NotNull(variable, paramName);
            if (variable.Length == 0)
            {
                throw new ArgumentException($"{paramName} can't be an empty string.");
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Checks whether the <paramref name="variable"/> is different from <paramref name="value"/>.
        /// Otherwise throws an exception.
        /// </summary>
        /// <typeparam name="T">The type of the <paramref name="variable"/>.</typeparam>
        /// <param name="variable">The value to check.</param>
        /// <param name="value">The value to compare to for inequality.</param>
        /// <param name="variableName">The name of the variable being checked.</param>
        /// <exception cref="ArgumentException">
        /// <paramref name="variable"/> is equal to the <paramref name="value"/>.
        /// </exception>
        [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
        public static void NotEquals<T>(T variable, T value, string variableName)
        {
            var paramName = variableName ?? "The variable";

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