Trim a String Example in Java

Introduction

Trim A String is a classic Java console program that demonstrates the concept with complete source code and sample output. Strings are immutable objects in Java; the examples show comparison, searching and transformation.

This tutorial walks through the program line by line, explains how the logic works, and highlights best practices you can apply in your own code.

Definition

A string is traditionally a sequence of characters, either as a literal constant or as some kind of variable. The latter may allow its elements to be mutated and the length changed, or it may be fixed (after creation). A string is generally understood as a data type and is often implemented as an array of bytes (or words) that stores a sequence of elements. A string may also denote more general arrays or other sequence (or list) data types and structures.

Syntax

String Variable_name = Variable_name.trim();

Trim A String Example Program

public class StringTrim{
	public static void main(String args[]){
		String str ="'    She sells sea shells on the sea shore    '";
		System.out.println("Input string is: ");
		System.out.println(str);
		System.out.println("After trimming, the result is:" );
		System.out.println(str.trim());
	}
}

Sample Output

Input string is:
'    She sells sea shells on the sea shore	  '
After trimming, the result is:
'She sells sea shells on the sea shore'

When to use

Use string manipulation when cleaning user input, parsing text files or formatting messages.

How it works

1. Execution begins in the main method — the JVM calls this method when you run the class.

2. String str ="' She sells sea shells on the sea shore '"; updates a variable used in the calculation or output.

3. A println / print call writes text to the console — part of the sample output below.

4. A println / print call writes text to the console — part of the sample output below.

5. A println / print call writes text to the console — part of the sample output below.

6. A println / print call writes text to the console — part of the sample output below.

7. Compare your console output with the sample output for Trim A String to confirm the program behaves correctly.

Best Practices

• Use meaningful variable and class names that describe their purpose.
• Compile and run the program locally — modify values to see how output changes.
• Read compiler errors carefully; they usually point to the exact line to fix.

Common Mistakes

• Copying code without understanding each line — practice by changing one statement at a time.
• Mismatching the public class name and the .java filename.
• Forgetting semicolons at the end of statements.