Java Programming

String Processing

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 String Processing

Overview

This lesson covers the following topics:

• Read, search, and parse Strings
• Use StringBuilder to create Strings
• Use regular expressions to search, parse, and replace
Strings

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 String Processing

Strings

The String object can be interpreted as a group of

characters in a single memory location.
• Strings, like arrays, begin their index at 0 and end their
index at StringName.length()-1.
• There are many different ways of approaching String
manipulation.

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 String Processing

Using a FOR Loop

One way to manipulate Strings is to use a FOR loop. This

code segment initializes a String and increments through
its characters, printing each one to the console.
String str = “Sample String”;
for(int index=0;index<str.length();index++){
System.out.print(str.charAt(index));}

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 String Processing

Benefits to Using a FOR Loop

Using the FOR loop method of incrementing through a

String is beneficial if you desire to:
• Search for a specific character or String inside of the
String.
• Read the String backwards (from last element to first
element).
• Parse the String.

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 String Processing

Print String to Console

An easier way to print a String to the console does not

involve incrementing through the String. This code is
shown below.
System.out.print(str);

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 String Processing

Common String Methods

A few other common String methods are:

String Method Description
length() Returns the number of characters in the String.

chatAt(int i) Returns the character at index i.

Returns part of the String from index start to the

substring(int start)
end of the String.

Returns part of the String from index start to index

substring(int start, int end) end, but does not include the character at index
end.

Returns a String where all occurrences of

replace(char oldC, char newC)
character oldC have been replaced with newC.

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 String Processing

Searching and Strings

There are a few different ways to search for a specific

character or String inside of the String.

The first is a for loop, which can be altered to search,

count, or replace characters or Substrings contained in
Strings.

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 String Processing

Searching and Strings Example

The code below uses a for loop to count the number of

spaces found in the String.

String str = “Searching for spaces”;

Since the index of a String begins
int count=0;
for(int i=0;i<str.length();i++){ at 0, we must begin searching for
if(str.charAt(i)==' ') a ' ' at index 0.
count++;
}

Search through the String until the

index reaches the last element of
the String, which is at
index.strlength()-1. This means that
i cannot be > or = to the str.length().
If it does exceed str.length()-1, an
"index out of bounds" error will
occur.
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 String Processing

Calling Methods on the String

Other ways to search for something in a String is by

calling any of the following methods on the String. These
methods are beneficial when working with programming
problems that involve the manipulation of Strings.
String Method Description
contains(CharSequence s) Returns true if the String contains s.

Returns the index within this String of the first

indexOf(char ch) occurrence of the specified character and -1 if the
character is not in the String.
Returns the index within this String of the first
indexOf(String str) occurrence of the specified Substring and -1 if the
String does not contain the Substring str.

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 String Processing

Reading Strings Backwards

Typically a String is read from left to right. To read a String

backwards, simply change the starting index and ending
index of the FOR loop that increments through the String.

String str = “Read this backwards”;

String strBackwards = “”; Start the FOR loop at the last
for(int i=str.length()-1; i>=0 ; i--){ index of the array (which is
strBackwards+=str.substring(i,i+1); str.length()-1), and decrease the
}
index all the way through to the
first index (which is 0).

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 String Processing

Parsing a String

Parsing means dividing a String into a set of Substrings.

• Typically, a sentence (stored as a String) is parsed by
spaces to separate the words of the sentence rather
than the whole sentence. This makes it easier to
rearrange the words than if they were all together in one
String.
• You may parse a String by any character or Substring.
• Below are two techniques for parsing a String:
– For loop
– Split

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 String Processing

Steps to Parsing a String with a For Loop

1. Increment through the for loop until you find the character or
Substring where you wish to parse it.
2. Store the parsed components.
3. Update the String.
4. Manipulate the parsed components as desired.

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 String Processing

Steps to Parsing a String with a For Loop

import java.util.*;
public class StringParser {
public static void main(String[] args) {
String str = "Parse this String";
ArrayList<String> words = new ArrayList<String>();

while(str.length() > 0){

for(int i=0; i<str.length(); i++){
if(i==str.length()-1){
words.add(str.substring(0));
str = "";
break;
}
else if(str.charAt(i)==' '){
words.add(str.substring(0,i));
str=str.substring(i+1);
break;
}
}
}
for(String s : words)
System.out.print(s + ' ');
}
}

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 String Processing

Parsing a String: Split

Split is a method inside the String class that parses a

String at specified characters, or if unspecified, spaces.
• It returns an array of Strings that contains the Substrings
(or words) that parsing the String gives.

How to call split on a String:

String sentence = “This is my sentence”;
String[] words = sentence.split(“ ”);
//words will look like {This,is,my,sentence}
String[] tokens = sentence.split(“i”);
//tokens will look like {Th,s ,s my sentence}

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 String Processing

Split a String by More than One Character

It is also possible to split a String by more than one

specified character if you use brackets [ ] around the
characters. Here is an example.
String sentence = “This is my sentence”; Notice how the brackets
String[] tokens = sentence.split(“[ie]”); are used to include i and e.
//tokens will look like {Th,s ,s my s,nt,nc}
//each token is separated by any occurrence of
//an i or any occurrence of an e.

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 String Processing

StringBuilder

StringBuilder is a class that represents a String-like

object. It is made of a sequence of characters, like a
String.

The difference between String and StringBuilder objects is

that:
• StringBuilder includes methods that can modify the
StringBuilder once it has been created by appending,
removing, replacing, or inserting characters.
• Once created, a String cannot be changed. It is
replaced by a new String instead.
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 String Processing

Strings Cannot be Modified

It is not possible to make modifications to a String.

• Methods used to “modify” a String actually create a new
String in memory with the specified changes, they do not
modify the old one.
• This is why StringBuilders are much faster to work with:
They can be modified and do not require you to create a
new String with each modification.

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 String Processing

StringBuilder and String Shared Methods

StringBuilder shares many of the same methods with

String, including but not limited to:
• charAt(int index)
• indexOf(String str)
• length()
• substring(int start, int end)

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 String Processing

StringBuilder Methods

StringBuilder also has some methods specific to its class,

including the four below:
Method Description
Is compatible with any Java type or object, appends
append(Type t) the String representation of the Type argument to the
end of the sequence.

Removes the character sequence included in the

delete(int start, int end)
Substring from start to end.

Is compatible with any Java type, inserts the String

insert(int offset, Type t)
representation of Type argument into the sequence.

replace(int start, int end, Replaces the characters in a Substring of this

String str) sequence with characters in str.

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 String Processing

Methods to Search Using a StringBuilder

Searching using a StringBuilder can be done using either

of the below methods:
Method Description
charAt(int index) Returns the character at index.

indexOf(String str, int fromIndex) Returns index of first occurrence of str.

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 String Processing

StringBuilder versus String

StringBuilder String
Changeable Immutable

Easier insertion, deletion, and

Easier concatenation.
replacement.

Can be more difficult to use, especially

Visually simpler to use, similar to
when using regular expressions
primitive types rather than objects.
introduced on the next few slides.

Use when memory needs to be Use with simpler programs where

conserved. memory is not a concern.

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 String Processing

Regular Expressions

A regular expression is a character or a sequence of

characters that represent a String or multiple Strings.

Regular expressions:
• Are part of the java.util.regex package, thus any time
regular expressions are used in your program you must
import this package.
• Syntax is different than what you are used to but allows
for quicker, easier searching, parsing, and replacing of
characters in a String.

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 String Processing

String.matches(String regex)

The String class contains a method matches(String regex)

that returns true if a String matches the given regular
expression. This is similar to the String method
equals(String str).

The difference is that comparing the String to a regular

expression allows variability. For example, how would you
write code that returns true if the String animal is “cat” or
“dog” and returns false otherwise?

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 String Processing

Equals Versus Matches

A standard answer may look something like this:

if(animal.equals(“cat”))
return true;
else if(animal.equals(“dog”))
return true;
return false;

An answer using regular expressions would look

something like this:
return animal.matches(“cat|dog”);

The second solution is much shorter. The regular

expression symbol | allows for the method matches to
check if animal is equal to “cat” or “dog” and return true
accordingly.
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 String Processing

Square Brackets

Square brackets are used in regular expression to allow

for character variability.
• For example, if you wanted to return true if animal is
equal to “dog” or “Dog”, but not “dOg”, using
equalsIgnoreCase would not work and using equals
would take time and multiple lines.
• If you use regular expression, this task can be done in
one line as follows. This code tests if animal matches
“Dog” or “dog” and returns true if it does.
return animal.matches(“[Dd]og”);

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 String Processing

Include Any Range of Characters

Square brackets aren't restricted to two character options.

They can be combined with a hyphen to include any
range of characters.
• For example, you are writing code to create a rhyming
game and you want to see if String word rhymes with
banana. The definition of a rhyming word is a word that
contains all the same letters except the first letter may
be any letter of the alphabet.
• Your first attempt at coding may look like this:
if(word.length()==6)
if(word.substring(1,6).equals(“anana”))
return true;
return false;
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 String Processing

Using Square Brackets and a Hyphen

A shorter, more generic way to complete the same task is

to use square brackets and a hyphen (regular expression)
as shown below.
return word.matches(“[a-z]anana”);

This code returns true if word begins with any lower case
letter and ends in “anana”. To include upper case
characters we would write:
return word.matches(“[a-zA-Z]anana”);

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 String Processing

Using Square Brackets and a Hyphen

To allow the first character to be any number or a space in

addition to a lower or upper case character, simply add “
0-9” inside the brackets (note the space before 0).
return word.matches(“[ 0-9a-zA-Z]anana”);

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 String Processing

The Dot

The dot (.) is a representation for any character in regular

expressions.
• For example, you are writing a decoder for a top secret
company and you think that you have cracked the code.
You need to see if String element consists of a number
followed by any other single character.
• This task is done easily with use of the dot as shown
below. This code returns true if element consists of a
number followed by any character. The dot matches any
character.
return element.matches(“[0-9].”);

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 String Processing

Repetition Operators

A repetition operator is any symbol in regular expressions

that indicates the number of times a specified character
appears in a matching String.
Repetition
Definition Sample Code Code Meaning
Operator
Returns true if str
0 or more
* return str.matches(“A*”); consists of zero or more
occurrences
A's but no other letter.

0 or 1 Returns true if str is “” or

? return str.matches(“A?”);
occurrence “A”.

1 or more Returns true if str is 1 or

+ return str.matches(“A+”);
occurrences more A's in a sequence.

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 String Processing

More Repetition Operators

Repetition
Definition Sample Code Code Meaning
Operator
Returns true if str is
{x} X occurrences return str.matches(“A{7}”);
a sequence of 7 A's.
Returns true if str is
Between x & y
{x,y} return str.matches(“A{7,9}”); a sequence of 7, 8,
occurrences
or 9 A's.
Returns true if str is
X or more
{x,} Return str.matches(“A{5,}”); a sequence of 5 or
occurrences
more A's.

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 String Processing

Combining Repetition Operators Example 1

In the code below:

• The dot represents any character.
• The asterisk represents any number of occurrences of
the character preceding it.
• The “.*” means any number of any characters in a
sequence will return true.
return str.matches(“.*”);

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 String Processing

Combining Repetition Operators Example 2

If the code below returns true, str must be a sequence of

10 digits (between 0 and 5) and may have 0 or 1
characters preceding the sequence.

Remember, all symbols of regular expressions may be

combined with each other, as shown below, and with
standard characters.
return str.matches(“.?[0-5]{10}”);

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 String Processing

Pattern

A Pattern is a class in the java.util.regex package that

stores the format of the regular expression.
• For example, to initialize a Pattern of characters as
defined by the regular expression “[A-F]{5,}.*” you would
write the following code:
Pattern p = Pattern.compile(“[A-F]{5,}.*”);

• The compile method returns a Pattern as defined by the

regular expression given in the parameter.

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 String Processing

Matcher

A matcher is a class in the java.util.regex package that

stores a possible match between the Pattern and a String.
A Matcher is initialized as follows:
Matcher match = patternName.matcher(stringName);

The matcher method returns a Matcher object. The

following code returns true if the regular expression given
in the Pattern patternName declaration matches the String
StringName.
return match.matches();

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 String Processing

Matcher: Putting it All Together

To put it all together, we have:

Pattern p = Pattern.compile(“[A-F]{5,}.*”);
Matcher match = p.matcher(stringName);
return match.matches();

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 String Processing

Benefits to Using Pattern and Matcher

This seems like a very complex way of completing the

same task as the String method matches. Although that
may be true, there are benefits to using a Pattern and
Matcher such as:
• Capturing groups of Strings and pulling them out,
allowing to keep specific formats for dates or other
specific formats without having to create special classes
for them.
• Matches has a find() method that allows for detection of
multiple instances of a pattern within the same String.

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 String Processing

Regular Expressions and Groups

Segments of regular expressions can be grouped using

parentheses, opening the group with “(“ and closing it with
“)”. These groups can later be accessed with the Matcher
method group(groupNumber).
• For example, consider reading in a sequence of dates,
Strings in the format “DD/MM/YYYY”, and printing out
each date in the format “MM/DD/YYYY”.
• Using groups would make this task quite simple.

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 String Processing

Regular Expressions and Groups Example

import java.util.regex.Pattern;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;
import java.util.Scanner;
•public
<Enter first-level introductory paragraph, sentence, or
class RegExpressionsPractice {
Group 1 Group 2
phrase here.>
public static (24 pt
void main(String[]
Pattern dateP;
Arial
args) { Regular)
– <Enter
dateP second-level bullet text here.> (22 pt Arial Regular)
= Pattern.compile("([0-9]{2})/([0-9]{2})/([0-9]{4})");
Scanner in = new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.println("Enter
–<Enter third-level bullet a Date: (dd/mm/yyyy)");
text Group 3
here.> (20 pt Arial Regular)
String date = in.nextLine();
– while(!date.equals("")){
<Enter fourth-level bullet text here.> (18 pt Arial Regular)
Matcher dateM = dateP.matcher(date); Recalls each group
– <Enter fifth-level
if(dateM.matches()){bullet text here.> (16 pt Arial of the) Matcher.
Regular
String day = dateM.group(1);
String month = dateM.group(2);
String year = dateM.group(3);
System.out.println(month+"/"+day+"/"+year);
}
System.out.println("Enter a Date: (dd/mm/yyyy)");
date=in.nextLine();
}
} Group 1 and Group 2 are defined to consist of 2
} digits each. Group 3 (the year) is defined to
consist of 4 digits. Note: It is still possible to get
the whole Matcher by calling group (0).
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 String Processing

Matcher.find()

Matcher's find method will return true if the defined

Pattern exists as a Substring of the String of the Matcher.

For example, if we had a pattern defined by the regular

expression “[0-9]”, as long as we give the Matcher a String
that contains at least one digit somewhere in the String,
calling find() on this Matcher will return true.

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 String Processing

Parsing a String with Regular Expressions

Recall the String method split() introduced earlier in the

lesson, which splits a String by spaces and returns the
split Strings in an array of Strings.
• The split method has an optional parameter, a regular
expression that describes where the operator wishes to
split the String.
• For example, if we wished to split the String at any
sequence of one or more digits, we could write
something like this:
String[] tokens = str.split(“[0-9]+”);

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 String Processing

Replacing with Regular Expressions

There are a few simple options for replacing Substrings

using regular expressions. The following two are the most
commonly used methods.
• For use with Strings, the method
replaceAll(“insertRegularExpressionHere”,
newSubstring) will replace all occurrences of the defined
regular expression found in the String with the defined
String newSubstring.

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 String Processing

replaceAll Method

This method works the same if called by a Matcher rather

than a String. However, it does not require the regular
expression.
• It will simply replace any matches of the Pattern you
gave it when you initialized the Matcher.
• The method example shown below results in a
replacement of all matches identified by Matcher with
the String “abc”.
MatcherName.replaceAll(“abc”);

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 String Processing

Terminology

Key terms used in this lesson included:

• Matcher
• Parsing
• Pattern
• Regular Expression
• Regular Expression – Dot

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 String Processing

Terminology

Key terms used in this lesson included:

• Regular Expression – Groups
• Regular Expression – Square Brackets
• Repetition Operator
• Split
• StringBuilder

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 String Processing

Summary

In this lesson, you should have learned how to:

• Read, search, and parse Strings
• Use StringBuilder to create Strings
• Use regular expressions to search, parse, and replace
Strings

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