Question on String objects

Dear All,
Could you please help me out with the question concerning String pool. Fragment:

public String makinStrings() {

String s = "Fred";

s= s + "47";

s = s.substring(2, 5);

s = s.toUpperCase();

return s.toString();

}

How many String objects will be created when this method is invoked? My count is 4: "Fred", "Fred47", "ed4" and "ED4". But "Right answer" is 3.
What's wrong with it? Thank you for any help.

There are 5 String objects in that method.
"Fred" and "47" are created when the class is loaded.
When you run the class you create 3: "Fred47" substring(2,5) "ed4" and that to upper case, "ED4".
String s = "Fred"; does not create a new object; it simply adds a name (s) to it.

And welcome to the Ranch

Thank you indeed, Campbell! You say "class is loaded". Did you mean "method"?
[ April 25, 2008: Message edited by: Yaroslav Ashurin ]

You're welcome

Originally posted by Yaroslav Ashurin:
You say "class is loaded". Did you mean "method"?

No, he meant class. All String literals in a class are created when a class is loaded. So "fred" and "47" will be created before the method is called and even if the method is never called.

Now I've got the picture... There are 5 String objects in the String pool, 2 of them are created upon class loading, and 3 are tailored after makinString() invocation. Right?

Originally posted by Yaroslav Ashurin:
Now I've got the picture... There are 5 String objects in the String pool, 2 of them are created upon class loading, and 3 are tailored after makinString() invocation. Right?

Yes. And sorry I missed the question about class and method earlier.

In the case of having 2 objects created at class loading. wont there be 6 objects totally?

1) String s = "Fred";
2) "47"
3) Fred47
4) s = s.substring(2,5);
5) s = s.toUpperCase();
6) s.toString();

please correct me if i am wrong.

Or is it that s.toString() doesnot create a new string?

Originally posted by Ravikanth kolli:
Or is it that s.toString() doesnot create a new string?

Yes, String.toString() looks like

public String toString() { return this; }

[YA]: Now I've got the picture... There are 5 String objects in the String pool, 2 of them are created upon class loading, and 3 are tailored after makinString() invocation. Right?

There are 5 String objects, but only the first two are in the String pool. The other three are plain String objects, not in any kind of pool. The string pool is only for (a) String literals and constant expressions, and (b) Strings where you've invoked the intern() method.
[ April 25, 2008: Message edited by: Jim Yingst ]

Thanks a lot guys got it

Thank you everybody for participating! Should I close the thread? What the forum's policy about that?

You're welcome. I don't think you can close the thread; you simply leave it and it vanishes into history . . . until somebody searches for it.