String comparison

[Monika Pasricha]

public class abc {
public static void main(String args[]) {
String str1 = "string1";
String str2 = "string1";
System.out.println(str1==s.str);
System.out.println(str1.equals(str2));
System.out.println(str1=="string1");
}
}

I tried the above comparisons and got the result as 'true' in all the three cases. but if i initialize str1 and str2 as :
String str1 = new String("string1");
String str2 = new String("string1");
This comparison returns false.
plez explain the reason for the same...i will be greatful....
Monika

[sasi dhulipala]

Originally posted by Monika Pasricha:
public class abc {
public static void main(String args[]) {
String str1 = "string1";
String str2 = "string1";
System.out.println(str1==s.str);
System.out.println(str1.equals(str2));
System.out.println(str1=="string1");
}
}
when you say that
String str1 = "string1";
internally an anonymous string object is created and every time
"string" is equated to some String object ( like in this case str1, str2,.... ) the reference to the same anonymous String object is returned . This means that str1 and str2 will have the same reference value.
yr first println statement should be corrected as
System.out.println(str1==str2); //returns true becoz of same reference
System.out.println(str1.equals(str2)); // this mearly compares // //the contents of the two string objects since in this case both //store "string" it returns true
System.out.println(str1=="string1"); // this is same as case 1 //above where an anonymous object is created internally. Ans is //true.
String str1 = new String("string1");
String str2 = new String("string1");
In the above cases we are forcibly creating two new string objects and hence two new references . there for all the tests except
System.out.println(str1.equals(str2));
should retrun false.
HTH
Sasidhar