java.lang

Class StringBuffer

Implemented Interfaces:
Appendable, CharSequence, Serializable

public final class StringBuffer
extends Object
implements Serializable, CharSequence, Appendable

StringBuffer represents a changeable String. It provides the operations required to modify the StringBuffer, including insert, replace, delete, append, and reverse. It is thread-safe; meaning that all modifications to a buffer are in synchronized methods.

StringBuffers are variable-length in nature, so even if you initialize them to a certain size, they can still grow larger than that. Capacity indicates the number of characters the StringBuffer can have in it before it has to grow (growing the char array is an expensive operation involving new).

Incidentally, compilers often implement the String operator "+" by using a StringBuffer operation:
a + b
is the same as
new StringBuffer().append(a).append(b).toString().

Classpath's StringBuffer is capable of sharing memory with Strings for efficiency. This will help when a StringBuffer is converted to a String and the StringBuffer is not changed after that (quite common when performing string concatenation).

Since:
1.0
See Also:
String, Serialized Form

Constructor Summary

StringBuffer()
Create a new StringBuffer with default capacity 16.
StringBuffer(int capacity)
Create an empty StringBuffer with the specified initial capacity.
StringBuffer(CharSequence seq)
Create a new StringBuffer with the characters in the specified CharSequence.
StringBuffer(String str)
Create a new StringBuffer with the characters in the specified String.

Method Summary

StringBuffer
append(boolean bool)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(char ch)
Append the char to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(char[] data)
Append the char array to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(char[] data, int offset, int count)
Append part of the char array to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(double dnum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(float fnum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(int inum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(CharSequence seq)
Append the characters in the CharSequence to this buffer.
StringBuffer
append(CharSequence seq, int start, int end)
Append some characters from the CharSequence to this buffer.
StringBuffer
append(Object obj)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(String str)
Append the String to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(StringBuffer stringBuffer)
Append the StringBuffer value of the argument to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
append(long lnum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
appendCodePoint(int code)
Append the code point to this StringBuffer.
int
capacity()
Get the total number of characters this StringBuffer can support before it must be grown.
char
charAt(int index)
Get the character at the specified index.
int
codePointAt(int index)
Get the code point at the specified index.
int
codePointBefore(int index)
Get the code point before the specified index.
int
codePointCount(int start, int end)
Return the number of code points between two indices in the StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
delete(int start, int end)
Delete characters from this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
deleteCharAt(int index)
Delete a character from this StringBuffer.
void
ensureCapacity(int minimumCapacity)
Increase the capacity of this StringBuffer.
void
getChars(int srcOffset, int srcEnd, char[] dst, int dstOffset)
Get the specified array of characters.
int
indexOf(String str)
Finds the first instance of a substring in this StringBuffer.
int
indexOf(String str, int fromIndex)
Finds the first instance of a String in this StringBuffer, starting at a given index.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, boolean bool)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, char ch)
Insert the char argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, char[] data)
Insert the char[] argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, char[] str, int str_offset, int len)
Insert a subarray of the char[] argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, double dnum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, float fnum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, int inum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, CharSequence sequence)
Insert the CharSequence argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, CharSequence sequence, int start, int end)
Insert a subsequence of the CharSequence argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, Object obj)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, String str)
Insert the String argument into this StringBuffer.
StringBuffer
insert(int offset, long lnum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer.
int
lastIndexOf(String str)
Finds the last instance of a substring in this StringBuffer.
int
lastIndexOf(String str, int fromIndex)
Finds the last instance of a String in this StringBuffer, starting at a given index.
int
length()
Get the length of the String this StringBuffer would create.
int
offsetByCodePoints(int start, int codePoints)
Starting at the given index, this counts forward by the indicated number of code points, and then returns the resulting index.
StringBuffer
replace(int start, int end, String str)
Replace characters between index start (inclusive) and end (exclusive) with str.
StringBuffer
reverse()
Reverse the characters in this StringBuffer.
void
setCharAt(int index, char ch)
Set the character at the specified index.
void
setLength(int newLength)
Set the length of this StringBuffer.
CharSequence
subSequence(int beginIndex, int endIndex)
Creates a substring of this StringBuffer, starting at a specified index and ending at one character before a specified index.
String
substring(int beginIndex)
Creates a substring of this StringBuffer, starting at a specified index and ending at the end of this StringBuffer.
String
substring(int beginIndex, int endIndex)
Creates a substring of this StringBuffer, starting at a specified index and ending at one character before a specified index.
String
toString()
Convert this StringBuffer to a String.
void
trimToSize()
This may reduce the amount of memory used by the StringBuffer, by resizing the internal array to remove unused space.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, extends Object> getClass, finalize, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Constructor Details

StringBuffer

public StringBuffer()
Create a new StringBuffer with default capacity 16.

StringBuffer

public StringBuffer(int capacity)
Create an empty StringBuffer with the specified initial capacity.
Parameters:
capacity - the initial capacity
Throws:
NegativeArraySizeException - if capacity is negative

StringBuffer

public StringBuffer(CharSequence seq)
Create a new StringBuffer with the characters in the specified CharSequence. Initial capacity will be the length of the sequence plus 16; if the sequence reports a length less than or equal to 0, then the initial capacity will be 16.
Parameters:
seq - the initializing CharSequence
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null
Since:
1.5

StringBuffer

public StringBuffer(String str)
Create a new StringBuffer with the characters in the specified String. Initial capacity will be the size of the String plus 16.
Parameters:
str - the String to convert
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null

Method Details

append

public StringBuffer append(boolean bool)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
bool - the boolean to convert and append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

append

public StringBuffer append(char ch)
Append the char to this StringBuffer.
Specified by:
append in interface Appendable
Parameters:
ch - the char to append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

append

public StringBuffer append(char[] data)
Append the char array to this StringBuffer. This is similar (but more efficient) than append(new String(data)), except in the case of null.
Parameters:
data - the char[] to append
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null

append

public StringBuffer append(char[] data,
                           int offset,
                           int count)
Append part of the char array to this StringBuffer. This is similar (but more efficient) than append(new String(data, offset, count)), except in the case of null.
Parameters:
data - the char[] to append
offset - the start location in str
count - the number of characters to get from str
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset or count is out of range (while unspecified, this is a StringIndexOutOfBoundsException)

append

public StringBuffer append(double dnum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
dnum - the double to convert and append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

append

public StringBuffer append(float fnum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
fnum - the float to convert and append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

append

public StringBuffer append(int inum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
inum - the int to convert and append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

append

public StringBuffer append(CharSequence seq)
Append the characters in the CharSequence to this buffer.
Specified by:
append in interface Appendable
Parameters:
seq - the CharSequence providing the characters
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Since:
1.5

append

public StringBuffer append(CharSequence seq,
                           int start,
                           int end)
Append some characters from the CharSequence to this buffer. If the argument is null, the four characters "null" are appended.
Specified by:
append in interface Appendable
Parameters:
seq - the CharSequence providing the characters
start - the starting index
end - one past the final index
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Since:
1.5

append

public StringBuffer append(Object obj)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
obj - the Object to convert and append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

append

public StringBuffer append(String str)
Append the String to this StringBuffer. If str is null, the String "null" is appended.
Parameters:
str - the String to append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

append

public StringBuffer append(StringBuffer stringBuffer)
Append the StringBuffer value of the argument to this StringBuffer. This behaves the same as append((Object) stringBuffer), except it is more efficient.
Parameters:
stringBuffer - the StringBuffer to convert and append
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Since:
1.4

append

public StringBuffer append(long lnum)
Append the String value of the argument to this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
lnum - the long to convert and append
Returns:
this StringBuffer

appendCodePoint

public StringBuffer appendCodePoint(int code)
Append the code point to this StringBuffer. This is like #append(char), but will append two characters if a supplementary code point is given.
Parameters:
code - the code point to append
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Since:
1.5

capacity

public int capacity()
Get the total number of characters this StringBuffer can support before it must be grown. Not to be confused with length.
Returns:
the capacity of this StringBuffer

charAt

public char charAt(int index)
Get the character at the specified index.
Specified by:
charAt in interface CharSequence
Parameters:
index - the index of the character to get, starting at 0
Returns:
the character at the specified index
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if index is negative or >= length()

codePointAt

public int codePointAt(int index)
Get the code point at the specified index. This is like #charAt(int), but if the character is the start of a surrogate pair, and the following character completes the pair, then the corresponding supplementary code point is returned.
Parameters:
index - the index of the codepoint to get, starting at 0
Returns:
the codepoint at the specified index
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if index is negative or >= length()
Since:
1.5

codePointBefore

public int codePointBefore(int index)
Get the code point before the specified index. This is like #codePointAt(int), but checks the characters at index-1 and index-2 to see if they form a supplementary code point.
Parameters:
index - the index just past the codepoint to get, starting at 0
Returns:
the codepoint at the specified index
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if index is negative or >= length()
Since:
1.5

codePointCount

public int codePointCount(int start,
                          int end)
Return the number of code points between two indices in the StringBuffer. An unpaired surrogate counts as a code point for this purpose. Characters outside the indicated range are not examined, even if the range ends in the middle of a surrogate pair.
Parameters:
start - the starting index
end - one past the ending index
Returns:
the number of code points
Since:
1.5

delete

public StringBuffer delete(int start,
                           int end)
Delete characters from this StringBuffer. delete(10, 12) will delete 10 and 11, but not 12. It is harmless for end to be larger than length().
Parameters:
start - the first character to delete
end - the index after the last character to delete
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if start or end are out of bounds
Since:
1.2

deleteCharAt

public StringBuffer deleteCharAt(int index)
Delete a character from this StringBuffer.
Parameters:
index - the index of the character to delete
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if index is out of bounds
Since:
1.2

ensureCapacity

public void ensureCapacity(int minimumCapacity)
Increase the capacity of this StringBuffer. This will ensure that an expensive growing operation will not occur until minimumCapacity is reached. The buffer is grown to the larger of minimumCapacity and capacity() * 2 + 2, if it is not already large enough.
Parameters:
minimumCapacity - the new capacity
See Also:
capacity()

getChars

public void getChars(int srcOffset,
                     int srcEnd,
                     char[] dst,
                     int dstOffset)
Get the specified array of characters. srcOffset - srcEnd characters will be copied into the array you pass in.
Parameters:
srcOffset - the index to start copying from (inclusive)
srcEnd - the index to stop copying from (exclusive)
dst - the array to copy into
dstOffset - the index to start copying into
Throws:
NullPointerException - if dst is null
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if any source or target indices are out of range (while unspecified, source problems cause a StringIndexOutOfBoundsException, and dest problems cause an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException)

indexOf

public int indexOf(String str)
Finds the first instance of a substring in this StringBuffer.
Parameters:
str - String to find
Returns:
location (base 0) of the String, or -1 if not found
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null
Since:
1.4

indexOf

public int indexOf(String str,
                   int fromIndex)
Finds the first instance of a String in this StringBuffer, starting at a given index. If starting index is less than 0, the search starts at the beginning of this String. If the starting index is greater than the length of this String, or the substring is not found, -1 is returned.
Parameters:
str - String to find
fromIndex - index to start the search
Returns:
location (base 0) of the String, or -1 if not found
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null
Since:
1.4

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           boolean bool)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
bool - the boolean to convert and insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           char ch)
Insert the char argument into this StringBuffer.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
ch - the char to insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           char[] data)
Insert the char[] argument into this StringBuffer.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
data - the char[] to insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
NullPointerException - if data is null
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           char[] str,
                           int str_offset,
                           int len)
Insert a subarray of the char[] argument into this StringBuffer.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
str - the char[] to insert
str_offset - the index in str to start inserting from
len - the number of characters to insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if any index is out of bounds
Since:
1.2

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           double dnum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
dnum - the double to convert and insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           float fnum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
fnum - the float to convert and insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           int inum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
inum - the int to convert and insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           CharSequence sequence)
Insert the CharSequence argument into this StringBuffer. If the sequence is null, the String "null" is used instead.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
sequence - the CharSequence to insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds
Since:
1.5

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           CharSequence sequence,
                           int start,
                           int end)
Insert a subsequence of the CharSequence argument into this StringBuffer. If the sequence is null, the String "null" is used instead.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
sequence - the CharSequence to insert
start - the starting index of the subsequence
end - one past the ending index of the subsequence
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset, start, or end are out of bounds
Since:
1.5

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           Object obj)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
obj - the Object to convert and insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           String str)
Insert the String argument into this StringBuffer. If str is null, the String "null" is used instead.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
str - the String to insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

insert

public StringBuffer insert(int offset,
                           long lnum)
Insert the String value of the argument into this StringBuffer. Uses String.valueOf() to convert to String.
Parameters:
offset - the place to insert in this buffer
lnum - the long to convert and insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if offset is out of bounds

lastIndexOf

public int lastIndexOf(String str)
Finds the last instance of a substring in this StringBuffer.
Parameters:
str - String to find
Returns:
location (base 0) of the String, or -1 if not found
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null
Since:
1.4

lastIndexOf

public int lastIndexOf(String str,
                       int fromIndex)
Finds the last instance of a String in this StringBuffer, starting at a given index. If starting index is greater than the maximum valid index, then the search begins at the end of this String. If the starting index is less than zero, or the substring is not found, -1 is returned.
Parameters:
str - String to find
fromIndex - index to start the search
Returns:
location (base 0) of the String, or -1 if not found
Throws:
NullPointerException - if str is null
Since:
1.4

length

public int length()
Get the length of the String this StringBuffer would create. Not to be confused with the capacity of the StringBuffer.
Specified by:
length in interface CharSequence
Returns:
the length of this StringBuffer

offsetByCodePoints

public int offsetByCodePoints(int start,
                              int codePoints)
Starting at the given index, this counts forward by the indicated number of code points, and then returns the resulting index. An unpaired surrogate counts as a single code point for this purpose.
Parameters:
start - the starting index
codePoints - the number of code points
Returns:
the resulting index
Since:
1.5

replace

public StringBuffer replace(int start,
                            int end,
                            String str)
Replace characters between index start (inclusive) and end (exclusive) with str. If end is larger than the size of this StringBuffer, all characters after start are replaced.
Parameters:
start - the beginning index of characters to delete (inclusive)
end - the ending index of characters to delete (exclusive)
str - the new String to insert
Returns:
this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if start or end are out of bounds
NullPointerException - if str is null
Since:
1.2

reverse

public StringBuffer reverse()
Reverse the characters in this StringBuffer. The same sequence of characters exists, but in the reverse index ordering.
Returns:
this StringBuffer

setCharAt

public void setCharAt(int index,
                      char ch)
Set the character at the specified index.
Parameters:
index - the index of the character to set starting at 0
ch - the value to set that character to
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if index is negative or >= length() (while unspecified, this is a StringIndexOutOfBoundsException)

setLength

public void setLength(int newLength)
Set the length of this StringBuffer. If the new length is greater than the current length, all the new characters are set to '\0'. If the new length is less than the current length, the first newLength characters of the old array will be preserved, and the remaining characters are truncated.
Parameters:
newLength - the new length
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the new length is negative (while unspecified, this is a StringIndexOutOfBoundsException)
See Also:
length()

subSequence

public CharSequence subSequence(int beginIndex,
                                int endIndex)
Creates a substring of this StringBuffer, starting at a specified index and ending at one character before a specified index. This is implemented the same as substring(beginIndex, endIndex), to satisfy the CharSequence interface.
Specified by:
subSequence in interface CharSequence
Parameters:
beginIndex - index to start at (inclusive, base 0)
endIndex - index to end at (exclusive)
Returns:
new String which is a substring of this StringBuffer
Throws:
IndexOutOfBoundsException - if beginIndex or endIndex is out of bounds
Since:
1.4

substring

public String substring(int beginIndex)
Creates a substring of this StringBuffer, starting at a specified index and ending at the end of this StringBuffer.
Parameters:
beginIndex - index to start substring (base 0)
Returns:
new String which is a substring of this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if beginIndex is out of bounds
Since:
1.2

substring

public String substring(int beginIndex,
                        int endIndex)
Creates a substring of this StringBuffer, starting at a specified index and ending at one character before a specified index.
Parameters:
beginIndex - index to start at (inclusive, base 0)
endIndex - index to end at (exclusive)
Returns:
new String which is a substring of this StringBuffer
Throws:
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if beginIndex or endIndex is out of bounds
Since:
1.2

toString

public String toString()
Convert this StringBuffer to a String. The String is composed of the characters currently in this StringBuffer. Note that the result is a copy, and that future modifications to this buffer do not affect the String.
Specified by:
toString in interface CharSequence
Overrides:
toString in interface Object
Returns:
the characters in this StringBuffer

trimToSize

public void trimToSize()
This may reduce the amount of memory used by the StringBuffer, by resizing the internal array to remove unused space. However, this method is not required to resize, so this behavior cannot be relied upon.
Since:
1.5

StringBuffer.java -- Growable strings Copyright (C) 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This file is part of GNU Classpath. GNU Classpath is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later version. GNU Classpath is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with GNU Classpath; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA. Linking this library statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on this library. Thus, the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License cover the whole combination. As a special exception, the copyright holders of this library give you permission to link this library with independent modules to produce an executable, regardless of the license terms of these independent modules, and to copy and distribute the resulting executable under terms of your choice, provided that you also meet, for each linked independent module, the terms and conditions of the license of that module. An independent module is a module which is not derived from or based on this library. If you modify this library, you may extend this exception to your version of the library, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from your version.