How to resolve the algorithm Strip a set of characters from a string step by step in the Java programming language

Published on 12 May 2024 09:40 PM

How to resolve the algorithm Strip a set of characters from a string step by step in the Java programming language

Table of Contents

Problem Statement

Create a function that strips a set of characters from a string.

The function should take two arguments:

The returned string should contain the first string, stripped of any characters in the second argument:

Let's start with the solution:

Step by Step solution about How to resolve the algorithm Strip a set of characters from a string step by step in the Java programming language

1. First Method stripCharacters

Functionality: Removes all occurrences of characters in characters from the input string string.

Implementation:

  • Iterates over the characters in characters using a character array.
  • For each character, replaces its occurrence in the string string with an empty string "".
  • Returns the modified string.

2. Second Method stripCharacters

Functionality: Similar to the first method, removes all occurrences of characters in characters from string.

Implementation:

  • Uses a StringBuilder to create a modifiable version of the string.
  • Iterates through the string backwards to avoid collision when deleting characters.
  • Checks if the current character is present in characters, and deletes it from the StringBuilder if it is.
  • Returns the modified string as a normal string using toString().

3. Third Method stripCharacters (static)

Functionality: Again, removes all occurrences of characters in characters from string.

Implementation:

  • Quotes the characters string using Pattern.quote() to avoid potential pattern collision.
  • Uses replaceAll() to replace all occurrences of characters in characters with an empty string.
  • Returns the modified string.

Explanation:

  • Pattern Collision: Using unquoted characters in the pattern of replaceAll() might lead to conflicts with other characters in the string. Quoting ensures that only the specified characters are targeted.
  • Backwards Iteration (Second Method): By iterating backwards, you can avoid issues when deleting characters from the middle or beginning of the string. Deleting earlier characters would shift subsequent characters, possibly causing unexpected behavior.

Source code in the java programming language

String stripCharacters(String string, String characters) {
    for (char character : characters.toCharArray())
        string = string.replace(String.valueOf(character), "");
    return string;
}


String stripCharacters(String string, String characters) {
    StringBuilder stripped = new StringBuilder(string);
    /* traversing the string backwards is necessary to avoid collision */
    for (int index = string.length() - 1; index >= 0; index--) {
        if (characters.contains(String.valueOf(string.charAt(index))))
            stripped.deleteCharAt(index);
    }
    return stripped.toString();
}


static String stripCharacters(String string, String characters) {
    /* be sure to 'quote' the 'characters' to avoid pattern collision */
    characters = Pattern.quote(characters);
    string = string.replaceAll("[%s]".formatted(characters), "");
    return string;
}


  

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