14 August, 2014

Java Strings - Few things that Java Programmer Should Know

A Java class that is very widely used is known as string. It is considered quite special since compared to a normal class it contains some unique, special characteristics. It consists of some characters in a sequence; through the class the object can be created. There are many concepts which can be carried on through this and are worth knowing by most Java programmers.

Creation of objects or instantiation- The object can be created in two different ways- through new keywords and through string literal. Through double quote a string literal can be created. With its creation each time, the constant pool is checked by JVM first. If the pool already has the string then it returns the pooled instance’s reference. If the pool does not contain it then a new object is instantiated which is then placed there. Memory efficiency is increased by this. Through keywords, the object is created in a straight-forward manner by JVM.




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Switch as well as case statements- Using switch statement was a headache for many people due to the complications posed by it. Now String variable can be used by Java and using this makes the coding process easier. In fact the if-else-if chained statement which is clumsy in nature is removed effectively that makes the code further readable. Even the byte code generated is far more efficient. The passed value and case values are compared with each other through String.equals() method. However, in this case a NULL check should be added so that NullPointerException can be avoided. Furthermore, it is important to add this since null case condition cannot be tested in the switch’s body.

Immutable- Since Java String is immutable any of the values of its attributes cannot be modified. After creating the object no modification can be carried out to make it into some other string or object. The instance’s references can be mutable but not the object. The best way of making the object immutable is through making all attributes as final. Such a factor gives out a better performance. You can easily create a copy by pointing out to the one that already exists. In turn valuable primary memory can be saved. In fact it also contributes to the security factor as well since no intruder can change file names if they accidentally or deliberately gain access of the particular files. The string can also cache its hashcode quite fast and since there will be no object change re hashing will never be needed.

Conversion- Conversion may be performed through the usage of + operator which when used along with two int primitives, the sum of two numbers is returned. If any of the operand is a string then it also functions as concatenation operator.

Comparison- For comparison, = = operators should not be used since only the object references are compared and not the contents. The equality is not guaranteed 100% by it. The best results will be achieved by using equals() method instead of = = operators. Through the former method, references, length as well as character are compared. compareTo() method may be used as well for comparison of values; an int is returned which contains info on whether the compared values are equal, greater or less than each other.

Concatenation- In this a new string is formulated through the combination of several strings. This may be done in two ways- + operator and concat() method.

Overall Java Strings has made coding slicker and easier. It might seem to be complicated for the first timers but a little involvement will provide much better results that are secure. Especially its contribution in switch and case statement has made it extremely popular amongst the programmers since their work has been made clutter-free.

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