String class
Java String class
🠶 In java String are handled using String class for java.lang
package. It has advantages over tradition character array
🠶 Strings are constant/ immutable; their values cannot be
changed after they are created.
🠶 StringBuffer and StringBuilder classes are used to change
strings.
String str = "ACTS"; //This is called as String Literals.
is equivalent to:
char data[] = {'A', 'C', 'T', 'S'};
String str = new String(data); // String created using new
Java String class
🠶Storage of Strings
o String Literals are stored in the String
Literal/Constant Pool
o String created using new are stored on heap
Java String class
🠶 Three popular ways of creating strings in Java:
o String literal
o Using new keyword
o Using String.intern() method
1. String literal
This is the simplest and mostly used way of creating string. It is done using putting
characters in double quotes.
String str1 = “CDAC"; str1 CDAC
String str2 = "ACTS"; str2 ACTS
String str3 = "ACTS"; str3
String Literal Pool
Stack Heap
Java String class
2. Using new keyword
🠶 We can create new String objects using the new keyword.
🠶 When we create new string literals using the new keyword, memory is allocated to
those String objects in the Java heap memory outside the String Pool.
String str1 = “CDAC"; str1 CDAC
String str2 = "ACTS"; str2 ACTS
String str3 = "ACTS"; str3
String str4 = new String("ACTS“); str4 String Literal Pool
str2 == str3; =>true ACTS
str2 == str4; => false
Stack Heap
Str2.equals(str4); => true
== check reference and equals check contents
Java String class
3. Using String.intern() method
o Creating strings using the new keyword allocates memory to the string
object in the heap but outside the string constant pool.
o When we use the String.intern() method, JVM puts the string literal in
the String Pool.
String str1 = “CDAC"; str1 CDAC
String str2 = "ACTS"; str2 ACTS
str3 intern
String str3 = "ACTS";
str4 String Literal Pool
String str4 = new String("ACTS“);
ACTS
str4.intern();
Stack Heap
Java String class summary
• A string is a set of characters that are always enclosed in double-
quotes.
• Strings in Java are immutable in nature. This immutability is
achieved through String Pool.
• String Pool in Java is a special storage space in Java heap
memory. It is also known as String Constant Pool or String Intern
Pool.
• Whenever a new string is created, JVM first checks the string
pool. If it encounters the same string, then instead of creating a
new string, it returns the same instance of the found string to
the variable.
Java String class summary
• The String.intern() method puts the string in the String pool or
refers to another String object from the string pool having the
same value.
• String Interning is a method that stores only a copy of each
distinct string literal. String Pool is an implementation of the
concept of String Interning.
• Java String Pool allows caching of string and reusability.
Java String class few important methods
• charAt()
• valueOf()
• length()
• toLowerCase(), toUpperCase()
• trim()
• valueOf()
• concat()
• contains()
• equals(), equalsIngoreCase()
