Class TextStringBuilder

java.lang.Object
org.apache.commons.text.TextStringBuilder
All Implemented Interfaces:
Serializable, Appendable, CharSequence, Builder<String>

Builds a string from constituent parts providing a more flexible and powerful API than StringBuffer and StringBuilder.

The main differences from StringBuffer/StringBuilder are:

  • Not synchronized
  • Not final
  • Subclasses have direct access to character array
  • Additional methods
    • appendWithSeparators - adds an array of values, with a separator
    • appendPadding - adds a length padding characters
    • appendFixedLength - adds a fixed width field to the builder
    • toCharArray/getChars - simpler ways to get a range of the character array
    • delete - delete char or string
    • replace - search and replace for a char or string
    • leftString/rightString/midString - substring without exceptions
    • contains - whether the builder contains a char or string
    • size/clear/isEmpty - collections style API methods
  • Views
    • asTokenizer - uses the internal buffer as the source of a StrTokenizer
    • asReader - uses the internal buffer as the source of a Reader
    • asWriter - allows a Writer to write directly to the internal buffer

The aim has been to provide an API that mimics very closely what StringBuffer provides, but with additional methods. It should be noted that some edge cases, with invalid indices or null input, have been altered - see individual methods. The biggest of these changes is that by default, null will not output the text 'null'. This can be controlled by a property, setNullText(String).

This class is called TextStringBuilder instead of StringBuilder to avoid clashing with StringBuilder.

Since:
1.3
See Also:
  • Constructor Details

    • TextStringBuilder

      Constructs an empty builder with an initial capacity of 32 characters.
    • TextStringBuilder

      Constructs an instance from a character sequence, allocating 32 extra characters for growth.
      Parameters:
      seq - the string to copy, null treated as blank string
      Since:
      1.9
    • TextStringBuilder

      public TextStringBuilder(int initialCapacity)
      Constructs an instance with the specified initial capacity.
      Parameters:
      initialCapacity - the initial capacity, zero or less will be converted to 32
    • TextStringBuilder

      Constructs an instance from a string, allocating 32 extra characters for growth.
      Parameters:
      str - the string to copy, null treated as blank string
  • Method Details

    • wrap

      public static TextStringBuilder wrap(char[] initialBuffer)
      Constructs an instance from a reference to a character array. Changes to the input chars are reflected in this instance until the internal buffer needs to be reallocated. Using a reference to an array allows the instance to be initialized without copying the input array.
      Parameters:
      initialBuffer - The initial array that will back the new builder.
      Returns:
      A new instance.
      Since:
      1.9
    • wrap

      public static TextStringBuilder wrap(char[] initialBuffer, int length)
      Constructs an instance from a reference to a character array. Changes to the input chars are reflected in this instance until the internal buffer needs to be reallocated. Using a reference to an array allows the instance to be initialized without copying the input array.
      Parameters:
      initialBuffer - The initial array that will back the new builder.
      length - The length of the subarray to be used; must be non-negative and no larger than initialBuffer.length. The new builder's size will be set to length.
      Returns:
      A new instance.
      Since:
      1.9
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(boolean value)
      Appends a boolean value to the string builder.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(char ch)
      Appends a char value to the string builder.
      Specified by:
      append in interface Appendable
      Parameters:
      ch - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(char[] chars)
      Appends a char array to the string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      chars - the char array to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(char[] chars, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends a char array to the string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      chars - the char array to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if startIndex is not in the range 0 <= startIndex <= chars.length
      StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if length < 0
      StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if startIndex + length > chars.length
    • append

      Appends the contents of a char buffer to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the char buffer to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(CharBuffer buf, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends the contents of a char buffer to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      buf - the char buffer to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      Appends a CharSequence to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Specified by:
      append in interface Appendable
      Parameters:
      seq - the CharSequence to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(CharSequence seq, int startIndex, int endIndex)
      Appends part of a CharSequence to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Specified by:
      append in interface Appendable
      Parameters:
      seq - the CharSequence to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      endIndex - the end index, exclusive, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(double value)
      Appends a double value to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(float value)
      Appends a float value to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(int value)
      Appends an int value to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(long value)
      Appends a long value to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      Appends an object to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      obj - the object to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      Appends a string to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(String str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a string to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if startIndex is not in the range 0 <= startIndex <= str.length()
      StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if length < 0
      StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if startIndex + length > str.length()
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(String format, Object... objs)
      Calls String.format(String, Object...) and appends the result.
      Parameters:
      format - the format string
      objs - the objects to use in the format string
      Returns:
      this to enable chaining
      See Also:
    • append

      Appends a string buffer to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string buffer to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(StringBuffer str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a string buffer to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      Appends a StringBuilder to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the StringBuilder to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(StringBuilder str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a StringBuilder to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the StringBuilder to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      Appends another string builder to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string builder to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • append

      public TextStringBuilder append(TextStringBuilder str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a string builder to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendAll

      public TextStringBuilder appendAll(Iterable<?> iterable)
      Appends each item in an iterable to the builder without any separators. Appending a null iterable will have no effect. Each object is appended using append(Object).
      Parameters:
      iterable - the iterable to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendAll

      Appends each item in an iterator to the builder without any separators. Appending a null iterator will have no effect. Each object is appended using append(Object).
      Parameters:
      it - the iterator to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendAll

      public <T> TextStringBuilder appendAll(T... array)
      Appends each item in an array to the builder without any separators. Appending a null array will have no effect. Each object is appended using append(Object).
      Type Parameters:
      T - the element type
      Parameters:
      array - the array to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendFixedWidthPadLeft

      public TextStringBuilder appendFixedWidthPadLeft(int value, int width, char padChar)
      Appends an object to the builder padding on the left to a fixed width. The String.valueOf of the int value is used. If the formatted value is larger than the length, the left hand side is lost.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      width - the fixed field width, zero or negative has no effect
      padChar - the pad character to use
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendFixedWidthPadLeft

      public TextStringBuilder appendFixedWidthPadLeft(Object obj, int width, char padChar)
      Appends an object to the builder padding on the left to a fixed width. The toString of the object is used. If the object is larger than the length, the left hand side is lost. If the object is null, the null text value is used.
      Parameters:
      obj - the object to append, null uses null text
      width - the fixed field width, zero or negative has no effect
      padChar - the pad character to use
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendFixedWidthPadRight

      public TextStringBuilder appendFixedWidthPadRight(int value, int width, char padChar)
      Appends an object to the builder padding on the right to a fixed length. The String.valueOf of the int value is used. If the object is larger than the length, the right hand side is lost.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      width - the fixed field width, zero or negative has no effect
      padChar - the pad character to use
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendFixedWidthPadRight

      public TextStringBuilder appendFixedWidthPadRight(Object obj, int width, char padChar)
      Appends an object to the builder padding on the right to a fixed length. The toString of the object is used. If the object is larger than the length, the right hand side is lost. If the object is null, null text value is used.
      Parameters:
      obj - the object to append, null uses null text
      width - the fixed field width, zero or negative has no effect
      padChar - the pad character to use
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(boolean value)
      Appends a boolean value followed by a new line to the string builder.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(char ch)
      Appends a char value followed by a new line to the string builder.
      Parameters:
      ch - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(char[] chars)
      Appends a char array followed by a new line to the string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      chars - the char array to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(char[] chars, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends a char array followed by a new line to the string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      chars - the char array to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(double value)
      Appends a double value followed by a new line to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(float value)
      Appends a float value followed by a new line to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(int value)
      Appends an int value followed by a new line to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(long value)
      Appends a long value followed by a new line to the string builder using String.valueOf.
      Parameters:
      value - the value to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      Appends an object followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      obj - the object to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      Appends a string followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(String str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a string followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(String format, Object... objs)
      Calls String.format(String, Object...) and appends the result.
      Parameters:
      format - the format string
      objs - the objects to use in the format string
      Returns:
      this to enable chaining
      See Also:
    • appendln

      Appends a string buffer followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string buffer to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(StringBuffer str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a string buffer followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      Appends a string builder followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string builder to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(StringBuilder str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a string builder followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string builder to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      Appends another string builder followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string builder to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendln

      public TextStringBuilder appendln(TextStringBuilder str, int startIndex, int length)
      Appends part of a string builder followed by a new line to this string builder. Appending null will call appendNull().
      Parameters:
      str - the string to append
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      length - the length to append, must be valid
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendNewLine

      Appends the new line string to this string builder.

      The new line string can be altered using setNewLineText(String). This might be used to force the output to always use Unix line endings even when on Windows.

      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendNull

      Appends the text representing null to this string builder.
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendPadding

      public TextStringBuilder appendPadding(int length, char padChar)
      Appends the pad character to the builder the specified number of times.
      Parameters:
      length - the length to append, negative means no append
      padChar - the character to append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendSeparator

      public TextStringBuilder appendSeparator(char separator)
      Appends a separator if the builder is currently non-empty. The separator is appended using append(char).

      This method is useful for adding a separator each time around the loop except the first.

       for (Iterator it = list.iterator(); it.hasNext();) {
           appendSeparator(',');
           append(it.next());
       }
       

      Note that for this simple example, you should use appendWithSeparators(Iterable, String).

      Parameters:
      separator - the separator to use
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendSeparator

      public TextStringBuilder appendSeparator(char standard, char defaultIfEmpty)
      Appends one of both separators to the builder If the builder is currently empty it will append the defaultIfEmpty-separator Otherwise it will append the standard-separator The separator is appended using append(char).
      Parameters:
      standard - the separator if builder is not empty
      defaultIfEmpty - the separator if builder is empty
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendSeparator

      public TextStringBuilder appendSeparator(char separator, int loopIndex)
      Appends a separator to the builder if the loop index is greater than zero. The separator is appended using append(char).

      This method is useful for adding a separator each time around the loop except the first.

       for (int i = 0; i < list.size(); i++) {
           appendSeparator(",", i);
           append(list.get(i));
       }
       

      Note that for this simple example, you should use appendWithSeparators(Iterable, String).

      Parameters:
      separator - the separator to use
      loopIndex - the loop index
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendSeparator

      Appends a separator if the builder is currently non-empty. Appending a null separator will have no effect. The separator is appended using append(String).

      This method is useful for adding a separator each time around the loop except the first.

       for (Iterator it = list.iterator(); it.hasNext();) {
           appendSeparator(",");
           append(it.next());
       }
       

      Note that for this simple example, you should use appendWithSeparators(Iterable, String).

      Parameters:
      separator - the separator to use, null means no separator
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendSeparator

      public TextStringBuilder appendSeparator(String separator, int loopIndex)
      Appends a separator to the builder if the loop index is greater than zero. Appending a null separator will have no effect. The separator is appended using append(String).

      This method is useful for adding a separator each time around the loop except the first.

       for (int i = 0; i < list.size(); i++) {
           appendSeparator(",", i);
           append(list.get(i));
       }
       

      Note that for this simple example, you should use appendWithSeparators(Iterable, String).

      Parameters:
      separator - the separator to use, null means no separator
      loopIndex - the loop index
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendSeparator

      public TextStringBuilder appendSeparator(String standard, String defaultIfEmpty)
      Appends one of both separators to the StrBuilder. If the builder is currently empty, it will append the defaultIfEmpty-separator, otherwise it will append the standard-separator.

      Appending a null separator will have no effect. The separator is appended using append(String).

      This method is for example useful for constructing queries

       StrBuilder whereClause = new StrBuilder();
       if (searchCommand.getPriority() != null) {
        whereClause.appendSeparator(" and", " where");
        whereClause.append(" priority = ?")
       }
       if (searchCommand.getComponent() != null) {
        whereClause.appendSeparator(" and", " where");
        whereClause.append(" component = ?")
       }
       selectClause.append(whereClause)
       
      Parameters:
      standard - the separator if builder is not empty, null means no separator
      defaultIfEmpty - the separator if builder is empty, null means no separator
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendTo

      public void appendTo(Appendable appendable) throws IOException
      Appends current contents of this StrBuilder to the provided Appendable.

      This method tries to avoid doing any extra copies of contents.

      Parameters:
      appendable - the appendable to append data to
      Throws:
      IOException - if an I/O error occurs.
      See Also:
    • appendWithSeparators

      public TextStringBuilder appendWithSeparators(Iterable<?> iterable, String separator)
      Appends an iterable placing separators between each value, but not before the first or after the last. Appending a null iterable will have no effect. Each object is appended using append(Object).
      Parameters:
      iterable - the iterable to append
      separator - the separator to use, null means no separator
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendWithSeparators

      Appends an iterator placing separators between each value, but not before the first or after the last. Appending a null iterator will have no effect. Each object is appended using append(Object).
      Parameters:
      it - the iterator to append
      separator - the separator to use, null means no separator
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • appendWithSeparators

      public TextStringBuilder appendWithSeparators(Object[] array, String separator)
      Appends an array placing separators between each value, but not before the first or after the last. Appending a null array will have no effect. Each object is appended using append(Object).
      Parameters:
      array - the array to append
      separator - the separator to use, null means no separator
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • asReader

      public Reader asReader()
      Gets the contents of this builder as a Reader.

      This method allows the contents of the builder to be read using any standard method that expects a Reader.

      To use, simply create a StrBuilder, populate it with data, call asReader, and then read away.

      The internal character array is shared between the builder and the reader. This allows you to append to the builder after creating the reader, and the changes will be picked up. Note however, that no synchronization occurs, so you must perform all operations with the builder and the reader in one thread.

      The returned reader supports marking, and ignores the flush method.

      Returns:
      a reader that reads from this builder
    • asTokenizer

      Creates a tokenizer that can tokenize the contents of this builder.

      This method allows the contents of this builder to be tokenized. The tokenizer will be setup by default to tokenize on space, tab, newline and form feed (as per StringTokenizer). These values can be changed on the tokenizer class, before retrieving the tokens.

      The returned tokenizer is linked to this builder. You may intermix calls to the builder and tokenizer within certain limits, however there is no synchronization. Once the tokenizer has been used once, it must be reset to pickup the latest changes in the builder. For example:

       StrBuilder b = new StrBuilder();
       b.append("a b ");
       StrTokenizer t = b.asTokenizer();
       String[] tokens1 = t.getTokenArray(); // returns a,b
       b.append("c d ");
       String[] tokens2 = t.getTokenArray(); // returns a,b (c and d ignored)
       t.reset(); // reset causes builder changes to be picked up
       String[] tokens3 = t.getTokenArray(); // returns a,b,c,d
       

      In addition to simply intermixing appends and tokenization, you can also call the set methods on the tokenizer to alter how it tokenizes. Just remember to call reset when you want to pickup builder changes.

      Calling StringTokenizer.reset(String) or StringTokenizer.reset(char[]) with a non-null value will break the link with the builder.

      Returns:
      a tokenizer that is linked to this builder
    • asWriter

      public Writer asWriter()
      Gets this builder as a Writer that can be written to.

      This method allows you to populate the contents of the builder using any standard method that takes a Writer.

      To use, simply create a StrBuilder, call asWriter, and populate away. The data is available at any time using the methods of the StrBuilder.

      The internal character array is shared between the builder and the writer. This allows you to intermix calls that append to the builder and write using the writer and the changes will be occur correctly. Note however, that no synchronization occurs, so you must perform all operations with the builder and the writer in one thread.

      The returned writer ignores the close and flush methods.

      Returns:
      a writer that populates this builder
    • build

      public String build()
      Implement the Builder interface.
      Specified by:
      build in interface Builder<String>
      Returns:
      The builder as a String
      See Also:
    • capacity

      public int capacity()
      Gets the current size of the internal character array buffer.
      Returns:
      The capacity
    • charAt

      public char charAt(int index)
      Gets the character at the specified index.
      Specified by:
      charAt in interface CharSequence
      Parameters:
      index - the index to retrieve, must be valid
      Returns:
      The character at the index
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
      See Also:
    • clear

      Clears the string builder (convenience Collections API style method).

      This method does not reduce the size of the internal character buffer. To do that, call clear() followed by minimizeCapacity().

      This method is the same as setLength(int) called with zero and is provided to match the API of Collections.

      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • contains

      public boolean contains(char ch)
      Tests if the string builder contains the specified char.
      Parameters:
      ch - the character to find
      Returns:
      true if the builder contains the character
    • contains

      public boolean contains(String str)
      Tests if the string builder contains the specified string.
      Parameters:
      str - the string to find
      Returns:
      true if the builder contains the string
    • contains

      public boolean contains(StringMatcher matcher)
      Tests if the string builder contains a string matched using the specified matcher.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced searching behavior. For example you could write a matcher to search for the character 'a' followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use, null returns -1
      Returns:
      true if the matcher finds a match in the builder
    • delete

      public TextStringBuilder delete(int startIndex, int endIndex)
      Deletes the characters between the two specified indices.
      Parameters:
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      endIndex - the end index, exclusive, must be valid except that if too large it is treated as end of string
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • deleteAll

      public TextStringBuilder deleteAll(char ch)
      Deletes the character wherever it occurs in the builder.
      Parameters:
      ch - the character to delete
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • deleteAll

      Deletes the string wherever it occurs in the builder.
      Parameters:
      str - the string to delete, null causes no action
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • deleteAll

      Deletes all parts of the builder that the matcher matches.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced deletion behavior. For example you could write a matcher to delete all occurrences where the character 'a' is followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use to find the deletion, null causes no action
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • deleteCharAt

      public TextStringBuilder deleteCharAt(int index)
      Deletes the character at the specified index.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to delete
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
      See Also:
    • deleteFirst

      public TextStringBuilder deleteFirst(char ch)
      Deletes the character wherever it occurs in the builder.
      Parameters:
      ch - the character to delete
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • deleteFirst

      Deletes the string wherever it occurs in the builder.
      Parameters:
      str - the string to delete, null causes no action
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • deleteFirst

      Deletes the first match within the builder using the specified matcher.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced deletion behavior. For example you could write a matcher to delete where the character 'a' is followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use to find the deletion, null causes no action
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • drainChar

      public char drainChar(int index)
      Gets the character at the specified index before deleting it.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to retrieve, must be valid
      Returns:
      The character at the index
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
      Since:
      1.9
      See Also:
    • drainChars

      public int drainChars(int startIndex, int endIndex, char[] target, int targetIndex)
      Drains (copies, then deletes) this character sequence into the specified array. This is equivalent to copying the characters from this sequence into the target and then deleting those character from this sequence.
      Parameters:
      startIndex - first index to copy, inclusive.
      endIndex - last index to copy, exclusive.
      target - the target array, must not be null.
      targetIndex - the index to start copying in the target.
      Returns:
      How many characters where copied (then deleted). If this builder is empty, return 0.
      Since:
      1.9
    • endsWith

      public boolean endsWith(String str)
      Checks whether this builder ends with the specified string.

      Note that this method handles null input quietly, unlike String.

      Parameters:
      str - the string to search for, null returns false
      Returns:
      true if the builder ends with the string
    • ensureCapacity

      public TextStringBuilder ensureCapacity(int capacity)
      Tests the capacity and ensures that it is at least the size specified.

      Note: This method can be used to minimise memory reallocations during repeated addition of values by pre-allocating the character buffer. The method ignores a negative capacity argument.

      Parameters:
      capacity - the capacity to ensure
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      OutOfMemoryError - if the capacity cannot be allocated
    • equals

      public boolean equals(Object obj)
      Tests the contents of this builder against another to see if they contain the same character content.
      Overrides:
      equals in class Object
      Parameters:
      obj - the object to check, null returns false
      Returns:
      true if the builders contain the same characters in the same order
    • equals

      public boolean equals(TextStringBuilder other)
      Tests the contents of this builder against another to see if they contain the same character content.
      Parameters:
      other - the object to check, null returns false
      Returns:
      true if the builders contain the same characters in the same order
    • equalsIgnoreCase

      public boolean equalsIgnoreCase(TextStringBuilder other)
      Tests the contents of this builder against another to see if they contain the same character content ignoring case.
      Parameters:
      other - the object to check, null returns false
      Returns:
      true if the builders contain the same characters in the same order
    • getChars

      public char[] getChars(char[] target)
      Copies this character array into the specified array.
      Parameters:
      target - the target array, null will cause an array to be created
      Returns:
      The input array, unless that was null or too small
    • getChars

      public void getChars(int startIndex, int endIndex, char[] target, int targetIndex)
      Copies this character array into the specified array.
      Parameters:
      startIndex - first index to copy, inclusive, must be valid.
      endIndex - last index to copy, exclusive, must be valid.
      target - the target array, must not be null or too small.
      targetIndex - the index to start copying in target.
      Throws:
      NullPointerException - if the array is null.
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if any index is invalid.
    • getNewLineText

      Gets the text to be appended when a new line is added.
      Returns:
      The new line text, null means use system default
    • getNullText

      public String getNullText()
      Gets the text to be appended when null is added.
      Returns:
      The null text, null means no append
    • hashCode

      public int hashCode()
      Gets a suitable hash code for this builder.
      Overrides:
      hashCode in class Object
      Returns:
      a hash code
    • indexOf

      public int indexOf(char ch)
      Searches the string builder to find the first reference to the specified char.
      Parameters:
      ch - the character to find
      Returns:
      The first index of the character, or -1 if not found
    • indexOf

      public int indexOf(char ch, int startIndex)
      Searches the string builder to find the first reference to the specified char.
      Parameters:
      ch - the character to find
      startIndex - the index to start at, invalid index rounded to edge
      Returns:
      The first index of the character, or -1 if not found
    • indexOf

      public int indexOf(String str)
      Searches the string builder to find the first reference to the specified string.

      Note that a null input string will return -1, whereas the JDK throws an exception.

      Parameters:
      str - the string to find, null returns -1
      Returns:
      The first index of the string, or -1 if not found
    • indexOf

      public int indexOf(String str, int startIndex)
      Searches the string builder to find the first reference to the specified string starting searching from the given index.

      Note that a null input string will return -1, whereas the JDK throws an exception.

      Parameters:
      str - the string to find, null returns -1
      startIndex - the index to start at, invalid index rounded to edge
      Returns:
      The first index of the string, or -1 if not found
    • indexOf

      public int indexOf(StringMatcher matcher)
      Searches the string builder using the matcher to find the first match.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced searching behavior. For example you could write a matcher to find the character 'a' followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use, null returns -1
      Returns:
      The first index matched, or -1 if not found
    • indexOf

      public int indexOf(StringMatcher matcher, int startIndex)
      Searches the string builder using the matcher to find the first match searching from the given index.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced searching behavior. For example you could write a matcher to find the character 'a' followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use, null returns -1
      startIndex - the index to start at, invalid index rounded to edge
      Returns:
      The first index matched, or -1 if not found
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, boolean value)
      Inserts the value into this builder.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      value - the value to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, char value)
      Inserts the value into this builder.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      value - the value to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, char[] chars)
      Inserts the character array into this builder. Inserting null will use the stored null text value.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      chars - the char array to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, char[] chars, int offset, int length)
      Inserts part of the character array into this builder. Inserting null will use the stored null text value.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      chars - the char array to insert
      offset - the offset into the character array to start at, must be valid
      length - the length of the character array part to copy, must be positive
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if any index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, double value)
      Inserts the value into this builder.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      value - the value to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, float value)
      Inserts the value into this builder.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      value - the value to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, int value)
      Inserts the value into this builder.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      value - the value to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, long value)
      Inserts the value into this builder.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      value - the value to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, Object obj)
      Inserts the string representation of an object into this builder. Inserting null will use the stored null text value.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      obj - the object to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • insert

      public TextStringBuilder insert(int index, String str)
      Inserts the string into this builder. Inserting null will use the stored null text value.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to add at, must be valid
      str - the string to insert
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • isEmpty

      public boolean isEmpty()
      Checks is the string builder is empty (convenience Collections API style method).

      This method is the same as checking length() and is provided to match the API of Collections.

      Returns:
      true if the size is 0.
    • isNotEmpty

      public boolean isNotEmpty()
      Checks is the string builder is not empty.

      This method is the same as checking length().

      Returns:
      true if the size is not 0.
      Since:
      1.9
    • isReallocated

      public boolean isReallocated()
      Gets whether the internal buffer has been reallocated.
      Returns:
      Whether the internal buffer has been reallocated.
      Since:
      1.9
    • lastIndexOf

      public int lastIndexOf(char ch)
      Searches the string builder to find the last reference to the specified char.
      Parameters:
      ch - the character to find
      Returns:
      The last index of the character, or -1 if not found
    • lastIndexOf

      public int lastIndexOf(char ch, int startIndex)
      Searches the string builder to find the last reference to the specified char.
      Parameters:
      ch - the character to find
      startIndex - the index to start at, invalid index rounded to edge
      Returns:
      The last index of the character, or -1 if not found
    • lastIndexOf

      public int lastIndexOf(String str)
      Searches the string builder to find the last reference to the specified string.

      Note that a null input string will return -1, whereas the JDK throws an exception.

      Parameters:
      str - the string to find, null returns -1
      Returns:
      The last index of the string, or -1 if not found
    • lastIndexOf

      public int lastIndexOf(String str, int startIndex)
      Searches the string builder to find the last reference to the specified string starting searching from the given index.

      Note that a null input string will return -1, whereas the JDK throws an exception.

      Parameters:
      str - the string to find, null returns -1
      startIndex - the index to start at, invalid index rounded to edge
      Returns:
      The last index of the string, or -1 if not found
    • lastIndexOf

      public int lastIndexOf(StringMatcher matcher)
      Searches the string builder using the matcher to find the last match.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced searching behavior. For example you could write a matcher to find the character 'a' followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use, null returns -1
      Returns:
      The last index matched, or -1 if not found
    • lastIndexOf

      public int lastIndexOf(StringMatcher matcher, int startIndex)
      Searches the string builder using the matcher to find the last match searching from the given index.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced searching behavior. For example you could write a matcher to find the character 'a' followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use, null returns -1
      startIndex - the index to start at, invalid index rounded to edge
      Returns:
      The last index matched, or -1 if not found
    • leftString

      public String leftString(int length)
      Extracts the leftmost characters from the string builder without throwing an exception.

      This method extracts the left length characters from the builder. If this many characters are not available, the whole builder is returned. Thus the returned string may be shorter than the length requested.

      Parameters:
      length - the number of characters to extract, negative returns empty string
      Returns:
      The new string
    • length

      public int length()
      Gets the length of the string builder.
      Specified by:
      length in interface CharSequence
      Returns:
      The length
    • midString

      public String midString(int index, int length)
      Extracts some characters from the middle of the string builder without throwing an exception.

      This method extracts length characters from the builder at the specified index. If the index is negative it is treated as zero. If the index is greater than the builder size, it is treated as the builder size. If the length is negative, the empty string is returned. If insufficient characters are available in the builder, as much as possible is returned. Thus the returned string may be shorter than the length requested.

      Parameters:
      index - the index to start at, negative means zero
      length - the number of characters to extract, negative returns empty string
      Returns:
      The new string
    • minimizeCapacity

      Minimizes the capacity to the actual length of the string.
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • readFrom

      public int readFrom(CharBuffer charBuffer)
      If possible, reads chars from the provided CharBuffer directly into underlying character buffer without making extra copies.
      Parameters:
      charBuffer - CharBuffer to read.
      Returns:
      The number of characters read.
      Since:
      1.9
      See Also:
    • readFrom

      public int readFrom(Readable readable) throws IOException
      If possible, reads all chars from the provided Readable directly into underlying character buffer without making extra copies.
      Parameters:
      readable - object to read from
      Returns:
      The number of characters read
      Throws:
      IOException - if an I/O error occurs.
      See Also:
    • readFrom

      public int readFrom(Reader reader) throws IOException
      If possible, reads all chars from the provided Reader directly into underlying character buffer without making extra copies.
      Parameters:
      reader - Reader to read.
      Returns:
      The number of characters read or -1 if we reached the end of stream.
      Throws:
      IOException - if an I/O error occurs.
      Since:
      1.9
      See Also:
    • readFrom

      public int readFrom(Reader reader, int count) throws IOException
      If possible, reads count chars from the provided Reader directly into underlying character buffer without making extra copies.
      Parameters:
      reader - Reader to read.
      count - The maximum characters to read, a value <= 0 returns 0.
      Returns:
      The number of characters read. If less than count, then we've reached the end-of-stream, or -1 if we reached the end of stream.
      Throws:
      IOException - if an I/O error occurs.
      Since:
      1.9
      See Also:
    • replace

      public TextStringBuilder replace(int startIndex, int endIndex, String replaceStr)
      Replaces a portion of the string builder with another string. The length of the inserted string does not have to match the removed length.
      Parameters:
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      endIndex - the end index, exclusive, must be valid except that if too large it is treated as end of string
      replaceStr - the string to replace with, null means delete range
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • replace

      public TextStringBuilder replace(StringMatcher matcher, String replaceStr, int startIndex, int endIndex, int replaceCount)
      Advanced search and replaces within the builder using a matcher.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced behavior. For example you could write a matcher to delete all occurrences where the character 'a' is followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use to find the deletion, null causes no action
      replaceStr - the string to replace the match with, null is a delete
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      endIndex - the end index, exclusive, must be valid except that if too large it is treated as end of string
      replaceCount - the number of times to replace, -1 for replace all
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if start index is invalid
    • replaceAll

      public TextStringBuilder replaceAll(char search, char replace)
      Replaces the search character with the replace character throughout the builder.
      Parameters:
      search - the search character
      replace - the replace character
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • replaceAll

      public TextStringBuilder replaceAll(String searchStr, String replaceStr)
      Replaces the search string with the replace string throughout the builder.
      Parameters:
      searchStr - the search string, null causes no action to occur
      replaceStr - the replace string, null is equivalent to an empty string
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • replaceAll

      public TextStringBuilder replaceAll(StringMatcher matcher, String replaceStr)
      Replaces all matches within the builder with the replace string.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced replace behavior. For example you could write a matcher to replace all occurrences where the character 'a' is followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use to find the deletion, null causes no action
      replaceStr - the replace string, null is equivalent to an empty string
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • replaceFirst

      public TextStringBuilder replaceFirst(char search, char replace)
      Replaces the first instance of the search character with the replace character in the builder.
      Parameters:
      search - the search character
      replace - the replace character
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • replaceFirst

      public TextStringBuilder replaceFirst(String searchStr, String replaceStr)
      Replaces the first instance of the search string with the replace string.
      Parameters:
      searchStr - the search string, null causes no action to occur
      replaceStr - the replace string, null is equivalent to an empty string
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • replaceFirst

      public TextStringBuilder replaceFirst(StringMatcher matcher, String replaceStr)
      Replaces the first match within the builder with the replace string.

      Matchers can be used to perform advanced replace behavior. For example you could write a matcher to replace where the character 'a' is followed by a number.

      Parameters:
      matcher - the matcher to use to find the deletion, null causes no action
      replaceStr - the replace string, null is equivalent to an empty string
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • reverse

      Reverses the string builder placing each character in the opposite index.
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • rightString

      public String rightString(int length)
      Extracts the rightmost characters from the string builder without throwing an exception.

      This method extracts the right length characters from the builder. If this many characters are not available, the whole builder is returned. Thus the returned string may be shorter than the length requested.

      Parameters:
      length - the number of characters to extract, negative returns empty string
      Returns:
      The new string
    • set

      Clears and sets this builder to the given value.
      Parameters:
      str - the new value.
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Since:
      1.9
      See Also:
    • setCharAt

      public TextStringBuilder setCharAt(int index, char ch)
      Sets the character at the specified index.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to set
      ch - the new character
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
      See Also:
    • setLength

      public TextStringBuilder setLength(int length)
      Updates the length of the builder by either dropping the last characters or adding filler of Unicode zero.
      Parameters:
      length - the length to set to, must be zero or positive
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the length is negative
    • setNewLineText

      Sets the text to be appended when a new line is added.
      Parameters:
      newLine - the new line text, null means use system default
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • setNullText

      Sets the text to be appended when null is added.
      Parameters:
      nullText - the null text, null means no append
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • size

      public int size()
      Gets the length of the string builder.

      This method is the same as length() and is provided to match the API of Collections.

      Returns:
      The length
    • startsWith

      public boolean startsWith(String str)
      Checks whether this builder starts with the specified string.

      Note that this method handles null input quietly, unlike String.

      Parameters:
      str - the string to search for, null returns false
      Returns:
      true if the builder starts with the string
    • subSequence

      public CharSequence subSequence(int startIndex, int endIndex)
      Specified by:
      subSequence in interface CharSequence
    • substring

      public String substring(int start)
      Extracts a portion of this string builder as a string.
      Parameters:
      start - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      Returns:
      The new string
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • substring

      public String substring(int startIndex, int endIndex)
      Extracts a portion of this string builder as a string.

      Note: This method treats an endIndex greater than the length of the builder as equal to the length of the builder, and continues without error, unlike StringBuffer or String.

      Parameters:
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      endIndex - the end index, exclusive, must be valid except that if too large it is treated as end of string
      Returns:
      The new string
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
    • toCharArray

      public char[] toCharArray()
      Copies the builder's character array into a new character array.
      Returns:
      a new array that represents the contents of the builder
    • toCharArray

      public char[] toCharArray(int startIndex, int endIndex)
      Copies part of the builder's character array into a new character array.
      Parameters:
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      endIndex - the end index, exclusive, must be valid except that if too large it is treated as end of string
      Returns:
      a new array that holds part of the contents of the builder
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if startIndex is invalid, or if endIndex is invalid (but endIndex greater than size is valid)
    • toString

      public String toString()
      Gets a String version of the string builder, creating a new instance each time the method is called.

      Note that unlike StringBuffer, the string version returned is independent of the string builder.

      Specified by:
      toString in interface CharSequence
      Overrides:
      toString in class Object
      Returns:
      The builder as a String
    • toStringBuffer

      Gets a StringBuffer version of the string builder, creating a new instance each time the method is called.
      Returns:
      The builder as a StringBuffer
    • toStringBuilder

      Gets a StringBuilder version of the string builder, creating a new instance each time the method is called.
      Returns:
      The builder as a StringBuilder
    • trim

      Trims the builder by removing characters less than or equal to a space from the beginning and end.
      Returns:
      this, to enable chaining
    • validateIndex

      protected void validateIndex(int index)
      Validates that an index is in the range 0 <= index <= size.
      Parameters:
      index - the index to test.
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - Thrown when the index is not the range 0 <= index <= size.
    • validateRange

      protected int validateRange(int startIndex, int endIndex)
      Validates parameters defining a range of the builder.
      Parameters:
      startIndex - the start index, inclusive, must be valid
      endIndex - the end index, exclusive, must be valid except that if too large it is treated as end of string
      Returns:
      A valid end index.
      Throws:
      StringIndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid