Java Programming

Fifth Edition

Chapter 7
Characters, Strings, and the StringBuilder
 Objectives

• Identify problems that can occur when you manipulat

e string data
• Manipulate characters
• Declare a String object
• Compare String values
• Use other String methods

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 Objectives (continued)
• Convert Strings to numbers
• Learn about the StringBuilder and StringBuff
er classes

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 Identifying Problems That Can Occur
When You Manipulate String Data
• Manipulating characters and groups of characters
– Provides some challenges for beginning Java progra
mmer
• String is a class
– Each created String class object
– String variable name not simple data type
– Reference
• Variable that holds memory address

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Identifying Problems That Can Occur
When You Manipulate String Data (c
ontinued)
• Compare two Strings using the == operator
– Not comparing values
– Comparing computer memory locations
• Compare contents of memory locations more frequ
ently than memory locations themselves

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Identifying Problems That Can Occur
When You Manipulate String Data (c
ontinued)

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Identifying Problems That Can Occur
When You Manipulate String Data (c
ontinued)
• Classes to use when working with character data
– Character
• Instances hold single character value
• Defines methods that can manipulate or inspect single
-character data
– String
• Class for working with fixed-string data
– Unchanging data composed of multiple characters

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Identifying Problems That Can Occur
When You Manipulate String Data (c
ontinued)
• Classes to use when working with character data (c
ontinued)
– StringBuilder and StringBuffer
• Class for storing and manipulating changeable data co
mposed of multiple characters

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 Manipulating Characters
• Character class
– Contains standard methods for testing values of char
acters
– Methods that begin with “is”
• Such as isUpperCase()
• Return Boolean value
• Can be used in comparison statements
– Methods that begin with “to”
• Such as toUpperCase()
• Return character that has been converted to stated for
mat
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 Manipulating Characters (continued)

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 Declaring a String Object

• Literal string
– Sequence of characters enclosed within double quot
ation marks
– Unnamed object, or anonymous object of String cl
ass
• String variable
– Named object of String class
• Class String
– Defined in java.lang.String
– Automatically imported into every program

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Declaring a String Object (continued
)
• Declare String variable
– String itself is distinct from variable used to refer to
it
• Create String object
String aGreeting = new String("Hello");
String aGreeting = "Hello";
– Can create String object without:
• Using keyword new
• Explicitly calling class constructor

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 Comparing String Values

• String is a class
– Each created String is a class object
• String variable name
– Reference variable
– Refers to location in memory
• Rather than to particular value
• Assign new value to String
– Address held by String altered

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Comparing String Values (continued
)

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Comparing String Values (continued
)
• Immutable
– Objects that cannot be changed
– Such as String
• Making simple comparisons between Strings
– Often produces misleading results
– Compare Strings with == operator
• Compare memory addresses
• Not values

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Comparing String Values (continued
)
• equals() method
– Evaluates contents of two String objects to determi
ne if they are equivalent
– Returns true if objects have identical contents
– public boolean equals(String s)
• equalsIgnoreCase() method
– Ignores case when determining if two Strings equi
valent
– Useful when users type responses to prompts in pro
grams

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Comparing String Values (continued
)

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Comparing String Values (continued
)
• compareTo() method
– Compares two Strings and returns:
• Zero
– Only if two Strings refer to same value
• Negative number
– If calling object “less than” argument
• Positive number
– If calling object “more than” argument
if (aWord.compareTo(anotherWord) < 0)

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 Using Other String Methods

• toUpperCase() and toLowerCase()

– Convert any String to uppercase or lowercase equi
valent
• length() method
– Returns length of String

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Using Other String Methods (continu
ed)
• indexOf() method
– Determines whether specific character occurs within
String
– Returns position of character
– First position of String begins with zero
– Return value is –1
• If character does not exist in String

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Using Other String Methods (continu
ed)
• charAt() method
– Requires integer argument
– Indicates position of character that method returns
• endsWith() method and startsWith() method
– Take String argument
– Return true or false if String object does or doe
s not end or start with specified argument

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Using Other String Methods (continu
ed)
• replace() method
– Replace all occurrences of some character within St
ring
• toString() method
– Not part of String class
– Converts any object to String
– Converts primitive data types to Strings
String theString;
int someInt = 4;
theString = Integer.toString(someInt);

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Using Other String Methods (continu
ed)
• Concatenation
– Join simple variable to String
String aString = "My age is " + myAge;
– Plus sign (+)

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Using Other String Methods (continu
ed)
• substring() method
– Extract part of String
– Takes two integer arguments
• Start position
• End position
– Length of extracted substring
• Difference between second integer and first integer

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 Converting Strings to Numbers

• Integer class
– Part of java.lang
– Automatically imported into programs
– Convert String to integer
– parseInt() method
• Takes String argument
• Returns its integer value
• Wrapper
– Class or object “wrapped around” simpler element

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Converting Strings to Numbers (cont
inued)
• Integer class valueOf() method
– Convert String to Integer class object
• Integer class intValue() method
– Extract simple integer from wrapper class
• Double class
– Wrapper class
– Imported into programs automatically
– parseDouble() method
• Takes String argument
• Returns its double value
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Converting Strings to Numbers (cont
inued)

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes

• Value of String fixed

– After String created is immutable
• StringBuilder, StringBuffer classes
– Alternative to String class
– When String will be modified
– Can use anywhere you would use String
– Part of java.lang package
– Automatically imported into every program

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes (continu
ed)
• StringBuilder
– More efficient
• StringBuffer
– Thread safe
– Use in multithreaded programs

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes (continu
ed)
• Create StringBuilder object
StringBuilder eventString = new Stri
ngBuilder ("Hello there");
– Must use:
• Keyword new
• Constructor name
• Initializing value between constructor’s parentheses

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes (continu
ed)
• Buffer
– Memory block
– Might or might not contain String
– String might not occupy entire buffer
• Length of String can be different from length of buffe
r
– Capacity
• Actual length of buffer

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes (continu
ed)
• setLength() method
– Change length of String in StringBuilder objec
t
• length property
– Attribute of StringBuilder class
– Identifies number of characters in String contained
in StringBuilder
• capacity() method
– Find capacity of StringBuilder object

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes (continu
ed)
• Using StringBuilder objects
– Provides improved computer performance over Str
ing objects
– Can insert or append new contents into StringBui
lder
• StringBuilder constructors
public StringBuilder ()
public StringBuilder (int capacity)
public StringBuilder (String s)

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes (continu
ed)
• append() method
– Adds characters to end of StringBuilder object
• insert() method
– Adds characters at specific location within StringB
uilder object
• setCharAt() method
– Changes character at specified position within Stri
ngBuilder object

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 Learning About the StringBuilder
and StringBuffer Classes (continu
ed)
• charAt() method
– Accepts argument that is offset of character position
from beginning of String
– Returns character at that position

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Java Programming, Fifth Edition 39
 You Do It
• Using String class methods
• Converting a String to an integer
• Using StringBuilder methods

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 Don’t Do It
• Don’t attempt to compare Strings using the stand
ard comparison operators
• Don’t forget to use the new operator and the constr
uctor when declaring initialized StringBuilder o
bjects

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 Summary
• String variables
– References
• Character class
– Instances can hold single character value
• Each String class object
– Immutable
– equals() method
• toString() method
– Converts any object to String

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 Summary (continued)
• Integer.parseInt() method
– Takes String argument
– Returns integer value
• Double.parseDouble() method
– Takes String argument
– Returns double value
• StringBuilder class
– Improves performance when string’s contents must c
hange

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