C#

if(str == "some literal string value"){}    // is readable
if(str.Equals("some literal string value")){} //is silly

private void whatever(string parameter)
{
   try
   {
      if(parameter == null || parameter.Equals(""))
      {
        throw new CustomBusinessException("Parameter is a required field");
      }
      else
      {
         if(parameter.Equals(someComparisonString))
         {
           //do whatever it is you were doing
           //can still throw whatever run-time exceptions are applicable
         }
         else
         {
          throw new CustomBusinessException("Parameter is invalid");
         }
      }
   }
   catch(CustomBusinessException cbex)
   {
     throw cbex;
     MessageBox.Show(cbex.Message);
   }
} 

private static System.Collection.Generic.Dictionary<string,object> dic ;
 
static classname()
{
    dic = new System.Collection.Generic.Dictionary<string,object>
    (
        System.StringComparer.CurrentCultureIgnoreCase
    ) ;
 
    dic.Add ( "SHAPE" , null ) ;
    dic.Add ( "FID"   , null ) ;
    dic.Add ( "OID"   , null ) ;
}
 
...
 
if ( dic.ContainsKey ( currentFd.Name ) ) ...

string str = "xyz"; //...or String str = new String(new char[]{"x","y","z"}); 
if(str.ToUpper().Equals("XYZ") || str.ToUpper().Equals("XXX"))
{
 //do whatever
}

switch (currentFd.Name.ToUpper()) {
   case "SHAPE":
   case "FID":
   case "OID":
      // do whatever
      break;
}

Guffa wrote:

What's wrong with a switch?

if ( "#SHAPE#FID#OID#".IndexOf ( "#" + currentFd.Name.ToUpper() + "#" ) != -1 ) ...

private static string[] keywords=new string[] { "SHAPE", "FID", "OID" };
...
if (Array.IndexOf(keywords, currentFd.Name.ToUpper()) >= 0) ...

Luc Pattyn wrote:

Regex approach

public enum StringsOfSomeKind { SHAPE , FID , OID } ;
 
StringsOfSomeKind x = System.Enum.Parse ( typeof(StringsOfSomeKind) , currentFd.Name , true ) ;
 
if ( x != null ) ...