Search keyword highlight in ASP.Net

Question

I am outputting a list of search results for a given string of keywords, and I want any matching keywords in my search results to be highlighted. Each word should be wrapped in a span or similar. I am looking for an efficient function to do this.

E.g.

Keywords: "lorem ipsum"

Result: "Some text containing lorem and ipsum"

Desired HTML output: "Some text containing <span class="hit">lorem</span> and <span class="hit">ipsum</span>"

My results are case insensitive.

Answer 1

Here's what I've decided on. An extension function that I can call on the relevant strings within my page / section of my page:

public static string HighlightKeywords(this string input, string keywords)
{
    if (input == string.Empty || keywords == string.Empty)
    {
        return input;
    }

    string[] sKeywords = keywords.Split(' ');
    foreach (string sKeyword in sKeywords)
    {
        try
        {
            input = Regex.Replace(input, sKeyword, string.Format("<span class=\"hit\">{0}</span>", "$0"), RegexOptions.IgnoreCase);
        }
        catch
        {
            //
        }
    }
    return input;
}

Any further suggestions or comments?