Web Technology - Module VI

String Handling
In Java, a String is a sequence of characters. It is a widely used data type that represents
text. Strings are immutable, meaning that once a String object is created, its value cannot be

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changed. Any operation that appears to modify a string will actually create a new string.

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What is String in Java?

Generally, String is a sequence of characters. But in Java, string is an object that represents a
sequence of characters. The java.lang.String class is used to create a string object.

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Characteristics of Strings

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● Immutable: Once a String object is created, it cannot be changed. Any modification
creates a new String.
● String Pool: Java optimizes memory usage through a concept known as the String Pool.

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When a string is created, it is stored in a special memory area, and if another string with
the same value is created, the reference to the original string is returned instead of
creating a new object.
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● Character Encoding: Strings in Java are stored in Unicode, allowing for representation
of characters from multiple languages.

Ways to Create String

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In Java, you can create a String in several ways, either by using literals or by calling
constructors. Here’s a guide on each method:
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● Using String Literals

When you create a string using double quotes, Java automatically creates a String
object and stores it in a special memory area called the String Pool.
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This method is generally recommended for creating strings as it’s more efficient due to
the use of the String Pool.
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 ● Using the new Keyword

You can also create a String by calling the String constructor with the new keyword.
This approach creates a new String object on the heap, even if an identical string
already exists in the String Pool.

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This is less efficient than using string literals, as it bypasses the String Pool and creates
a new object.

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● Using a Character Array

You can create a String from a character array by passing the array to the String

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constructor.

● Using a Byte Array

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A String can also be created from a byte array, with each byte in the array
representing an ASCII character.
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● Using String.valueOf()

The String.valueOf() method is used to convert different types of values (like int,
float, char, etc.) into a String.
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● Using Concatenation

You can also create a String by concatenating literals, variables, or other strings. Java
internally uses StringBuilder to optimize this operation.
Common String Methods

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Java provides numerous methods for string manipulation. Here are some of the most commonly

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used methods:

Basic String Operations

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● Length:

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● Character Extraction:

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● Substring:
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● Concatenation:
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String Comparison
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● Equality:
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 ● Lexicographic Comparison:

Searching and Replacing

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● Index Search:

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● Contains:

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● Replace:

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Case Conversion

● To Lowercase:
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● To Uppercase:
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Trimming and Formatting

● Trim:
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 ● Format:

Conversion to Other Data Types

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● toString(): Returns the string itself.

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● valueOf(): Returns the string representation of different data types.

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StringBuffer Class

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The StringBuffer class is used to create mutable strings, meaning the contents can be
modified after creation. It is generally preferred when a lot of modifications are required.
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Constructors

● StringBuffer(): Creates an empty string buffer with a default capacity.

● StringBuffer(String str): Creates a string buffer initialized to the specified string.
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● StringBuffer(int capacity): Creates a string buffer with the specified initial

capacity.
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StringBuffer Operations

● Append
○ StringBuffer append(String str): Appends the specified string to this
character sequence.
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● Insert
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○ StringBuffer insert(int offset, String str): Inserts the specified

string at the specified position.
 ● Delete
○ StringBuffer delete(int start, int end): Removes the characters in
a substring from the string buffer.

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● Reverse
○ StringBuffer reverse(): Reverses the characters in the string buffer.

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● Capacity and Length
○ int capacity(): Returns the current capacity of the string buffer.

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○ int length(): Returns the number of characters currently stored.

Conversion to String

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String toString(): Converts the StringBuffer to a String object.
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Key Differences Between String and StringBuffer
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Feature String StringBuffer

Mutability Immutable Mutable

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Less efficient for More efficient for

Performance
modifications modifications

Thread Safety Not synchronized Synchronized

Usage For fixed strings For dynamic strings

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