Double quotes within string like triple double quote in Python

Question

Within Python I can use:

test = """My "cute" string"""

Where the double quotes get escaped. Is there a way that I can emulate this within Java without using escape slashes?

`test = "\"My \"cute\" string\"";` This can be done with escape slashes. — Prasad, Dec 02 '13 at 09:24
I don't see how it will be easier to use the approach mentioned below answers rather than escaping it. — Sage, Dec 02 '13 at 09:32

Maroun · Answer 1 · 2013-12-02T09:29:15.287

3

I don't see a reason not to escape ", but.. you can do:

System.out.println((char)34+"Some Text"+(char)34); //See ASCII table for more information

Output >> "Some Text"

edited Dec 02 '13 at 09:29

answered Dec 02 '13 at 09:23

Maroun

3

Agreed. Downvoter, this is so far the only answer to adhere to the "without using escape slashes" requirement. – DuncanACoulter Dec 02 '13 at 09:33

Tu Tran · Answer 2 · 2013-12-02T09:41:46.180

2

If you don't need an escape, you should use string concatenation such as:

test = '"' + "My " + '"' + "cute" + '"' + " string" + '"';

Or using StringBuffer to append " character if you want.

Another way to do that is using String.format:

test = String.format("%1$sMy %1$scute%1$s string%1$s", '"');

Which replaces %1$s by your give "quote" later.

edited Dec 02 '13 at 09:41

answered Dec 02 '13 at 09:31

Tu Tran

@SeanPatrickFloyd: Of course, I do not recommend to write a code like that. But I think that is a good way to have `"` character without escape. – Tu Tran Dec 02 '13 at 09:34
@TuTran, all pther approach instead of using `\\` will be error prone. Try using below answer's approach with OP's sample and the outcome complexity is same – Sage Dec 02 '13 at 09:36

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 28 '22 at 17:28

2

Beginning with Java 13, Java now supports triple-quotes! See JEP 355 for details.

answered Mar 28 '22 at 17:28

Sören

note that it was a Preview feature in 13; but official by 15: https://stackoverflow.com/a/59839267/1357094 – cellepo Aug 31 '23 at 19:51

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 02 '13 at 09:27

1

You have to use \u0022.

String str= "\u0022 MyString \u0022";

But this is quite similar to escaping " by \

answered Dec 02 '13 at 09:27

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 02 '13 at 09:37

1

No, there is no sensible way of doing that in Java. Judging from the other answers, I'd say that escaping the quotes is the path of least pain.

It is possible in Groovy (which also runs on the Java VM), though, using either single quotes:

`'some "String"'`

or the so-called here documents:

""" Everything here can be "quoted"
/"""

But Java has no such mechanism.

answered Dec 02 '13 at 09:37

1

Well if we are abandoning Java then why not go the whole way and use Jython? I'm pretty sure that's as close to Python style string literals as you can possibly get on the JVM. – DuncanACoulter Dec 02 '13 at 09:40
Good point, but I don't have any experience with Python, so I didn't think of that – Sean Patrick Floyd Dec 02 '13 at 09:58

5 Answers5