Java Tutorial
Control Statements
Java Object Class
Java Inheritance
- inheritance(is-a)
- aggregation(has-a)
Java Polymorphism
Java Abstraction
Java Encapsulation
Java Array
- java-array
Java OOPs Misc
Java String
Java String Methods
Java Regex
- java-regex-api
Exception Handling
Java Inner Class
Java Multithreading
Java Synchronization
Java I/O
Java Serialization
- java-serialization
- java-transient-keyword
Java Networking
Java AWT & Events
Java Swing
Java Swing Apps
LayoutManagers
JavaFX Tutorial
JavaFX 2D Shapes
JavaFX Text
- javafx-text
JavaFX Effects
JavaFX Transformation
JavaFX Animation
JavaFX 3D Shapes
JavaFX Layouts
JavaFX UI
JavaFX Charts
JavaFX CSS
- javafx-css
Media with JavaFX
JavaFX Event Handling
Java Applet
Java Reflection
Java 8 Date Time
Java Date (Classical)
Java Date Format
- dateformat
- simpledateformat
Current Date Time
- get-current-date-time
Java Conversion
Java Collections
Java JDBC
Java New Features
- java-new-features
Java 9 Features
Java 8 Features
Java 7 Features
Java 4/5 Features
RMI
- java-rmi
Internationalization

Java String compare

We can compare string in java on the basis of content and reference.

It is used in authentication (by equals() method), sorting (by compareTo() method), reference matching (by == operator) etc.

There are three ways to compare string in java:

By equals() method
By = = operator
By compareTo() method

1) String compare by equals() method

The String equals() method compares the original content of the string. It compares values of string for equality. String class provides two methods:

public boolean equals(Object another) compares this string to the specified object.
public boolean equalsIgnoreCase(String another) compares this String to another string, ignoring case.

class Teststringcomparison1{
 public static void main(String args[]){
   String s1="Sachin";
   String s2="Sachin";
   String s3=new String("Sachin");
   String s4="Saurav";
   System.out.println(s1.equals(s2));//true
   System.out.println(s1.equals(s3));//true
   System.out.println(s1.equals(s4));//false
 }
}

Test it Now

Output:true
       true
       false

class Teststringcomparison2{
 public static void main(String args[]){
   String s1="Sachin";
   String s2="SACHIN";

   System.out.println(s1.equals(s2));//false
   System.out.println(s1.equalsIgnoreCase(s2));//true
 }
}

Test it Now

Output:

false
true

Click here for more about equals() method

2) String compare by == operator

The = = operator compares references not values.

class Teststringcomparison3{
 public static void main(String args[]){
   String s1="Sachin";
   String s2="Sachin";
   String s3=new String("Sachin");
   System.out.println(s1==s2);//true (because both refer to same instance)
   System.out.println(s1==s3);//false(because s3 refers to instance created in nonpool)
 }
}

Test it Now

Output:true
       false

3) String compare by compareTo() method

The String compareTo() method compares values lexicographically and returns an integer value that describes if first string is less than, equal to or greater than second string.

Suppose s1 and s2 are two string variables. If:

s1 == s2 :0
s1 > s2 :positive value
s1 < s2 :negative value

class Teststringcomparison4{
 public static void main(String args[]){
   String s1="Sachin";
   String s2="Sachin";
   String s3="Ratan";
   System.out.println(s1.compareTo(s2));//0
   System.out.println(s1.compareTo(s3));//1(because s1>s3)
   System.out.println(s3.compareTo(s1));//-1(because s3 < s1 )
 }
}

Test it Now

Output:0
       1
       -1

Click me for more about compareTo() method

Next TopicString Concatenation in java

« prev next »

Hot Tutorials

Contact US

Email:[email protected]

String Comparison

10/30

Java Tutorial

Control Statements

Java Object Class

Java Inheritance

Java Polymorphism

Java Abstraction

Java Encapsulation

Java Array

Java OOPs Misc

Java String

Java String Methods

Java Regex

Exception Handling

Java Inner Class

Java Multithreading

Java Synchronization

Java I/O

Java Serialization

Java Networking

Java AWT & Events

Java Swing

Java Swing Apps

LayoutManagers

JavaFX Tutorial

JavaFX 2D Shapes

JavaFX Text

JavaFX Effects

JavaFX Transformation

JavaFX Animation

JavaFX 3D Shapes

JavaFX Layouts

JavaFX UI

JavaFX Charts

JavaFX CSS

Media with JavaFX

JavaFX Event Handling

Java Applet

Java Reflection

Java 8 Date Time

Java Date (Classical)

Java Date Format

Current Date Time

Java Conversion

Java Collections

Java JDBC

Java New Features

Java 9 Features

Java 8 Features

Java 7 Features

Java 4/5 Features

RMI

Internationalization

Java String compare

1) String compare by equals() method

2) String compare by == operator

3) String compare by compareTo() method

Hot Tutorials

Contact US