Java
Java

JAVA Coding: Strings and Loops

Hello, I am still new to the Java programming language and am having an issue with a code I have written. If possible, I would like some help with identifying why my code is not working for all instances.

The problem is the following:
Count the number of "xx" in the given string. We'll say that overlapping is allowed, so "xxx" contains 2 "xx".

countXX("abcxx") ¿ 1
countXX("xxx") ¿ 2
countXX("xxxx") ¿ 3

This is my code that I have written:

int countXX(String str) {
String check = "xx";
int count = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < str.length(); i++){
if (str.substring(i, i+1).equals(check)){
count++;
}
else count = count;
}
return count;
}

My code so far only returns 0 as the answer. Thank you for any help you can provide.

Paul_ATLAsked: 2013-01-05

Who is Participating?

LVL 17

krakatoaCommented: 2013-01-05

This is a good start :

Boyer-Moore-Horspool Algo

LVL 14

CPColinSenior Java ArchitectCommented: 2013-01-05

String.substring(i, i + 1) is always going to return a string that's one character long. You'll want to use String.substring(i, i + 2) to get a two-character-long string. You'll have to end your looping one character sooner, though, so you don't run past the end of the string.

Also, you don't need that "count = count" line; it does nothing.

Paul_ATLAuthor Commented: 2013-01-05

When I change the str.substring length to (i, i+2), I get Exception:java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException: String index out of range: n (line number:5) for all tests except where the string is empty where n varies depending on the string values.

LVL 17

krakatoaCommented: 2013-01-05

Something less complicated might be :

class FindString {

static String searchstring = new String("xxxxxxxx");
static String keystring = "xx";
static int counter =0;

public static void main(String[] args){


while(searchstring.indexOf(keystring,counter)>-1){

counter++;

}
System.out.println(counter);

}


}

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LVL 14

CPColinSenior Java ArchitectCommented: 2013-01-05

When I change the str.substring length to (i, i+2), I get Exception:java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException.

Right. Like I said, you need to end your loop one iteration sooner. That is, "i + 1" has to be less than the length of the string, instead of what you have now.

LVL 17

krakatoaCommented: 2013-01-05

The code I posted previously was incorrect. I think this should work :

class FindString {

static String searchstring = new String("xxxxxyyxxxx");
static String keystring = "xxx";
static int counter =0;
static int found=0;
public static void main(String[] args){

	while(counter<=(searchstring.length()-keystring.length())){
		if(searchstring.regionMatches(false, counter, keystring,0,keystring.length())){
		found++;
		}
		counter++;
	}

System.out.println(found);
}


}