Introduction:
Java developers often encounter the need to generate HTML content dynamically, which requires converting Java strings into HTML-safe strings. In this blog, we will explore several methods to achieve this conversion, each catering to different scenarios and preferences.
Method 1: Using String Concatenation
The first method involves iterating through the Java String character by character and converting specific characters into their respective HTML entities. By appending each character to a StringBuilder, we construct the HTML string array.
public class HTMLConverter {
public static String[] convertToHTMLStringArray(String input) {
StringBuilder htmlBuilder = new StringBuilder();
for (char c : input.toCharArray()) {
switch (c) {
case '<':
htmlBuilder.append("<");
break;
case '>':
htmlBuilder.append(">");
break;
case '&':
htmlBuilder.append("&");
break;
default:
htmlBuilder.append(c);
}
}
return new String[]{htmlBuilder.toString()};
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
String input = "Hello <world> & beyond";
String[] htmlArray = convertToHTMLStringArray(input);
System.out.println("Method 1 Output:");
for (String html : htmlArray) {
System.out.println(html);
}
}
}
Output:
Hello <world> & beyond
Method 2: Using Regular Expressions
The second method employs regular expressions to replace specific patterns in the input Java String with their corresponding HTML entities.
public class HTMLConverter {
public static String[] convertToHTMLStringArray(String input) {
String[] htmlArray = {input.replaceAll("<", "<")
.replaceAll(">", ">")
.replaceAll("&", "&")};
return htmlArray;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
String input = "Hello <world> & beyond";
String[] htmlArray = convertToHTMLStringArray(input);
System.out.println("Method 2 Output:");
for (String html : htmlArray) {
System.out.println(html);
}
}
}
Output:
Hello <world> & beyond
Method 3: Utilizing Apache Commons Text
For our third method, we can leverage the Apache Commons Text library, which provides the StringEscapeUtils
class.
import org.apache.commons.text.StringEscapeUtils;
public class HTMLConverter {
public static String[] convertToHTMLStringArray(String input) {
String[] htmlArray = {StringEscapeUtils.escapeHtml4(input)};
return htmlArray;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
String input = "Hello <world> & beyond";
String[] htmlArray = convertToHTMLStringArray(input);
System.out.println("Method 3 Output:");
for (String html : htmlArray) {
System.out.println(html);
}
}
}
Output:
Hello <world> & beyond
Conclusion:
In this blog, we explored multiple methods to convert a Java String into an array of HTML-safe strings. Method 1 employs manual character iteration and concatenation, suitable for smaller strings and scenarios where external libraries cannot be used. Method 2 demonstrates the power of regular expressions for concise and efficient conversions. Lastly, Method 3 showcases how leveraging external libraries like Apache Commons Text can simplify the process significantly.
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