Java Strings are one of the most commonly used objects in the Java programming language.
A string is a sequence of characters. Strings are used to represent text in Java and are an essential part of any Java program.
Creating Strings:
There are several ways to create strings in Java.
The most common methods are:
String Literals:
A string literal is a string of characters enclosed in double quotes.
For example:
String str = "Hello, World!";String Concatenation:
Strings can be concatenated using the + operator.
The following example demonstrates string concatenation:
String str1 = "Hello, ";
String str2 = "World!";
String str3 = str1 + str2;Using the String Class:
A string can be created using the String class constructor.
The following example demonstrates creating a string using the String class:
char[] charArray = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', ','};
String str = new String(charArray);Using the StringBuilder Class:
The StringBuilder class is used to create strings in a more efficient manner than using string concatenation.
The following example demonstrates creating a string using the StringBuilder class:
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
sb.append("Hello, ");
sb.append("World!");
String str = sb.toString();String Properties:
Immutable:
Strings in Java are immutable, meaning once a string is created, it cannot be modified.
If you need to modify a string, a new string must be created.
Length:
The length of a string can be determined using the length() method.
The following example demonstrates finding the length of a string:
String str = "Hello, World!";
int length = str.length();Character Access:
Individual characters in a string can be accessed using the charAt(int index) method.
The following example demonstrates accessing individual characters in a string:
String str = "Hello, World!";
char c = str.charAt(0);String Methods:
Substring:
The substring(int beginIndex, int endIndex) method is used to extract a portion of a string.
The following example demonstrates extracting a portion of a string:
String str = "Hello, World!";
String subStr = str.substring(7, 12);Replace:
The replace(char oldChar, char newChar) method is used to replace all occurrences of a character in a string.
The following example demonstrates replacing characters in a string:
String str = "Hello, World!";
String newStr = str.replace('o', 'x');IndexOf:
The indexOf(int ch) method is used to find the first occurrence of a character in a string.
The following example demonstrates finding the index of a character in a string:
String str = "Hello, World!";
int index = str.indexOf('W');LastIndexOf:
The lastIndexOf(int ch) method is used to find the last occurrence of a character in a string.
The following example demonstrates finding the last index of a character in a string:
String str = "Hello, World!";
int index = str.lastIndexOf('o');CompareTo:
The compareTo(String anotherString) method is used to compare two strings lexicographically.
The following example demonstrates comparing two strings:
String str1 = "Hello, World!";
String str2 = "Hello, World?";
int result = str1.compareTo(str2);Equals:
The equals(Object anotherObject) method is used to compare two strings for equality.
The following example demonstrates comparing two strings for equality:
String str1 = "Hello, World!";
String str2 = "Hello, World!";
boolean result = str1.equals(str2);toLowerCase and toUpperCase:
The toLowerCase() and toUpperCase() methods are used to convert a string to lowercase and uppercase, respectively.
The following example demonstrates converting a string to lowercase and uppercase:
String str = "Hello, World!";
String lowerCase = str.toLowerCase();
String upperCase = str.toUpperCase();Conclusion
Java Strings are a fundamental part of the Java programming language. Understanding strings and their properties, methods, and operations is essential for any Java programmer.
Whether you are concatenating strings, accessing individual characters, or comparing strings, the Java string API provides a wealth of functionality for working with strings.
