Split() String method in Java with examples

The string split() method breaks a given string around matches of the given regular expression. After splitting against the given regular expression, this method returns a string array.

Input String: 016-78967
Regular Expression: - 
Output : {"016", "78967"}

Following are the two variants of the split() method in Java: 

1. Public String [] split ( String regex, int limit)

Parameters

• regex – a delimiting regular expression
• Limit – the resulting threshold

Returns 

An array of strings is computed by splitting the given string.

Exception Thrown

PatternSyntaxException – if the provided regular expression’s syntax is invalid.  

The limit parameter can have 3 values 

• limit > 0 – If this is the case, then the pattern will be applied at most limit-1 times, the resulting array’s length will not be more than n, and the resulting array’s last entry will contain all input beyond the last matched pattern.
• limit < 0 – In this case, the pattern will be applied as many times as possible, and the resulting array can be of any size.
• limit = 0 – In this case, the pattern will be applied as many times as possible, the resulting array can be of any size, and trailing empty strings will be discarded.

Here’s how it works:

Let the string that is to be split is – geekss@for@geekss

Regex	Limit	Result
@	2	{“geekss”, ”for@geekss”}
@	5	{“geekss”, ”for”, ”geekss”}
@	-2	{“geekss”, ”for”, ”geekss”}
s	5	{“geek”, ”“, “@for@geek”, “”, “”}
s	-2	{“geek”, ” “, ” “, “@for@geek”, “”, “”}
s	0	{“geek”, ””, ”@for@geek”}

Following are the Java example codes to demonstrate the working of split()

Example 1:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split(regex,
// limit) with small limit.

public class GFG {

    // Main driver method
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        // Custom input string
        String str = "geekss@for@geekss";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("@", 2);

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

geekss
for@geekss

Example 2:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split(regex,
// limit) with high limit.
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "geekss@for@geekss";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("@", 5);

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

geekss
for
geekss

Example 3:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split(regex,
// limit) with negative limit.
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "geekss@for@geekss";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("@", -2);

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

geekss
for
geekss

Example 4:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split(regex,
// limit) with high limit.
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "geekss@for@geekss";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("s", 5);

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

geek

@for@geek

Example 5:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split(regex,
// limit) with negative limit.
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "geekss@for@geekss";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("s", -2);

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

geek

@for@geek

Example 6:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split(regex,
// limit) with 0 limit.

public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "geekss@for@geekss";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("s", 0);

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

geek

@for@geek

2. public String[] split(String regex)

This variant of the split method takes a regular expression as a parameter and breaks the given string around matches of this regular expression regex. Here, by default limit is 0.

Parameters

regex – a delimiting regular expression

Returns

An array of strings is computed by splitting the given string.

Exception Thrown

PatternSyntaxException – if the provided regular expression’s syntax is invalid.  

Here are some working example codes:

Example 1:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split()
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str
            = "GeeksforGeeks:A Computer Science Portal";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split(":");

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

GeeksforGeeks
A Computer Science Portal

Example 2:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split()
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "GeeksforGeeksforStudents";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("for");

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

Geeks
Geeks
Students

It can be seen in the above example that the pattern/regular expression “for” is applied twice (because “for” is present two times in the string to be split)

Example 3:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split()
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "Geeks for Geeks";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split(" ");

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

Geeks
for
Geeks

Example 4:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split()
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "Geeks.for.Geeks";
        String[] arrOfStr
            = str.split("[.]"); // str.split("."); will give
                                // no output...

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

Geeks
for
Geeks

Example 5:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split()
public class GFG {
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "Geekssss";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("s");

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

Geek

In the above example, trailing empty strings are not included in the resulting array arrOfStr.

Example 6:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split()

public class GFG {

    // Main driver method
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "GeeksforforGeeksfor   ";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("for");

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

Geeks

Geeks
   

In the above example, the trailing spaces (hence not empty string) become a string in the resulting array arrOfStr.

Example 7:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of split()
// using regular expressions

public class GFG {

    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        String str = "word1, word2 word3@word4?word5.word6";
        String[] arrOfStr = str.split("[, ?.@]+");

        for (String a : arrOfStr)
            System.out.println(a);
    }
}

Output

word1
word2
word3
word4
word5
word6

In the above example, words are separated whenever either of the characters specified in the set is encountered.

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