Using equals()

[Anonymous]

StringBuffer sb1 = new StringBuffer("Test");
StringBuffer sb2= new StringBuffer("Test");
If (sb1.equals(sb2)) -- returns false.
I am unable to understand why it returns false. I thought that sb1 and sb2 are objects so it would return "true".
Can anyone explain me where I am wrong and also about (sb1 == sb2).
Thanks

[paul wheaton]

I went and looked at the source for StringBuffer. It doesn't implement the equals() method. So you only have the default method in Object which does nothing more than see if the two references are the same (which happens to be the same thing that == does).

[Frank Carver]

Strange isn't it. The work around is fairly simple, though: compare sb1.toString() with sb2.toString(). For a little demo see below.

class Test
{
  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    StringBuffer sb1 = new StringBuffer("Test"); 
    StringBuffer sb2= new StringBuffer("Test"); 
    System.out.println("raw == => " + (sb1 == sb2));
    System.out.println("raw equals => " + (sb1.equals(sb2)));
    System.out.println("toString equals => " + (sb1.toString().equals(sb2)));
    System.out.println("toString equals toString => " + (sb1.toString().equals(sb2.toString())));
    System.out.println("toString == toString=> " + (sb1.toString() == sb2.toString()));
  }
}

[konda Raju]

bec the equals method is not implemented in
StringBuffer class so it giving false
convert both into string class and try
with the help of equals method it gives true

[Ganesh Narayanan]

Frank Carver
That was beautifully explained
Thanx a lot
Wishes
Ganesh