Scanner, StringTokenizer, or String.split: Which Java Method Should You Choose for String Parsing?

Scanner, StringTokenizer, and String.Split: A Comparison

Java offers multiple options for parsing strings into an array of strings: Scanner, StringTokenizer, and String.Split. Each approach has its advantages and when to choose one over the others may vary.

Scanner

The Scanner class excels when dealing with diverse data types within a string, not just strings. It supports customized parsing patterns and allows for more flexibility in extracting data. However, if the sole purpose is to split a string into token strings, it may not be the most straightforward option.

StringTokenizer

StringTokenizer was designed specifically for extracting tokens from strings using fixed substrings as delimiters. It boasts performance advantages over String.Split, running approximately twice as fast. However, it is relatively inflexible, offering limited capabilities compared to Scanner or String.Split.

String.Split

String.Split is part of the regular expression API and provides an efficient syntax for splitting strings based on a specified delimiter expression. Its strength lies in its simplicity and speed, but it is limited to generating arrays of strings and does not support complex parsing patterns.

Choice Considerations

The choice depends on the specific requirements:

• Scanner: Ideal for flexible parsing of diverse data types.
• StringTokenizer: Best suited for quick token extraction with fixed delimiters, but lacking flexibility.
• String.Split: Efficacious for rapidly splitting strings based on regular expressions, but limited to string output.

As a general guideline, String.Split is usually the most preferred approach for simple string splitting tasks due to its speed and simplicity, while Scanner remains the versatile choice for complex parsing scenarios.

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