UrlEncoding - which encoding should I use?

Using HttpUtility.UrlEncode and passing via the URL the receiving page sees the variables as:

brand new -> brand+new

Airconaire+Ltd -> Airconaire+Ltd

Can you see how the first and the second both have a + in them where they didn't at the start? I'm assuming this is something to do with the encoding (specifically RFC3986 or RFC2396) but how do I solve this?

I think ideally the spaces should be converted to %20 but is th开发者_运维百科is the best way forward?

Try using HttpUtility.UrlPathEncode rather than URLEncode.

The UrlEncode() method can be used to encode the entire URL, including query-string values. If characters such as blanks and punctuation are passed in an HTTP stream, they might be misinterpreted at the receiving end. URL encoding converts characters that are not allowed in a URL into character-entity equivalents; URL decoding reverses the encoding. For example, when the characters < and > are embedded in a block of text to be transmitted in a URL, they are encoded as %3c and %3e.

You can encode a URL using with the UrlEncode() method or the UrlPathEncode() method. However, the methods return different results. The UrlEncode() method converts each space character to a plus character (+). The UrlPathEncode() method converts each space character into the string "%20", which represents a space in hexadecimal notation. Use the UrlPathEncode() method when you encode the path portion of a URL in order to guarantee a consistent decoded URL, regardless of which platform or browser performs the decoding.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/4fkewx0t.aspx