How To Convert String To Double In Java

In Java, converting a string to double means converting a value represented as a string to a value represented as a double-precision floating-point number. This can be useful, for example, when you want to perform mathematical operations on a value that is stored as a string, or when you need to pass a numeric value as an argument to a method that expects a double.

Approaches for converting string to double in java

In Java, there are several approaches to convert a string to a double. Here are a few methods:

1. Double.parseDouble(): This is the most common approach to convert a string to a double in Java. The parseDouble() method is a static method in the Double class that takes a string as input and returns a double.

Example:

String str = "123.45";
double d = Double.parseDouble(str);

2. Double.valueOf(): The valueOf() method is similar to the parseDouble() method, but it returns a Double object instead of a primitive double.

Example:

String str = "123.45";
Double d = Double.valueOf(str);

3. DecimalFormat: The DecimalFormat class provides methods to convert a string to a double using a specified format.

Example:

String str = "123.45";
DecimalFormat df = new DecimalFormat("#.##");
double d = df.parse(str).doubleValue();

4. Scanner.nextDouble(): The Scanner class can be used to parse double values from strings. You can create a new Scanner object and use the nextDouble() method to get the double value.

Example:

String str = "123.45";
Scanner scanner = new Scanner(str);
double d = scanner.nextDouble();

So, we have four approaches for converting a string to a double, let’s find code and explanation of code for each approaches:

Approach 1: Java string to double using Double.parseDouble() Method

Here’s an example code snippet in Java that demonstrates how to use the Double.parseDouble() method to convert a string to a double:

Code:


public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        
        // Step 1: Create a string variable with the value to be converted to a double
        String myString = "3.14159";
        
        // Step 2: Call the Double.parseDouble() method and pass in the string variable as an argument
        double myDouble = Double.parseDouble(myString);
        
        // Step 3: Print out the original string and the parsed double to the console
        System.out.println("Original string: " + myString);
        System.out.println("Parsed double: " + myDouble);
    }
}

Output:

Original string: 3.14159
Parsed double: 3.14159

Explanation of the code:

  • We create a string variable called myString and assign it the value “3.14159”.
  • We call the Double.parseDouble() method and pass in myString as an argument. This method returns a double value, which we assign to a new double variable called myDouble.
  • We print out both the original string and the parsed double to the console using the System.out.println() method.

Approach 2: Convert string to double in java using Double.valueOf() Method

It is an example of code in Java that demonstrates how to use the Double.valueOf() method to convert a string to a double:

Code:

public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        
        // Step 1: Create a string variable with the value to be converted to a double
        String myString = "3.14159";
        
        // Step 2: Call the Double.valueOf() method and pass in the string variable as an argument
        Double myDouble = Double.valueOf(myString);
        
        // Step 3: Print out the original string and the parsed double to the console
        System.out.println("Original string: " + myString);
        System.out.println("Parsed double: " + myDouble);
    }
}

Output:

Original string: 3.14159
Parsed double: 3.14159

Explanation of the code:

  • We create a string variable called myString and assign it the value “3.14159”.
  • We call the Double.valueOf() method and pass in myString as an argument. This method returns a Double object, which we assign to a new Double variable called myDouble.
  • We print out both the original string and the parsed double to the console using the System.out.println() method.

Approach 3: DecimalFormat to convert string to double in java

This is example of code that demonstrates how to use the DecimalFormat class to convert a string to a double:

Code:

import java.text.DecimalFormat;
public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        
        // Step 1: Create a string variable with the value to be converted to a double
        String myString = "3.14159";
        
        // Step 2: Create a new DecimalFormat object with the desired format
        DecimalFormat decimalFormat = new DecimalFormat("0.00");
        
        // Step 3: Call the parse() method of the DecimalFormat object and pass in the string variable as an argument
        double myDouble = 0;
        try {
            myDouble = decimalFormat.parse(myString).doubleValue();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
        
        // Step 4: Print out the original string and the parsed double to the console
        System.out.println("Original string: " + myString);
        System.out.println("Parsed double: " + myDouble);
    }
}

Output:

Original string: 3.14159
Parsed double: 3.14

Explanation of the code:

  • We create a string variable called myString and assign it the value “3.14159”.
  • We create a new DecimalFormat object with the desired format “0.00”. This format specifies that we want to display the number with two decimal places.
  • We call the parse() method of the DecimalFormat object and pass in myString as an argument. This method returns a Number object, which we convert to a double value using the doubleValue() method.
  • We print out both the original string and the parsed double to the console using the System.out.println() method.

Approach 4: Scanner.nextDouble() method to string to double conversion

Here’s an example of code that demonstrates how to use the Scanner class to convert a string to a double:

Code:

import java.util.Scanner;
public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        
        // Step 1: Create a new Scanner object to read input from the console
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        
        // Step 2: Ask the user to enter a double value
        System.out.println("Enter a double value: ");
        
        // Step 3: Use the nextDouble() method of the Scanner object to read in the double value
        double myDouble = scanner.nextDouble();
        
        // Step 4: Print out the parsed double to the console
        System.out.println("Parsed double: " + myDouble);
    }
}

Output:

Enter a double value: 3.14159
Parsed double: 3.14159

Explanation of the code:

  • We create a new Scanner object to read input from the console.
  • We use the System.out.println() method to prompt the user to enter a double value.
  • We call the nextDouble() method of the Scanner object to read in the double value entered by the user. This method returns a double value, which we assign to a new double variable called myDouble.
  • We print out the parsed double to the console using the System.out.println() method.

Best approach for change String to Double in Java

The Double.parseDouble() method is often considered the best approach for converting a string to a double in Java because of multiple reasons:

  • Part of the standard Java library: The Double.parseDouble() method is a built-in method in the java.lang package, which means that it is available in all Java programs without the need for any additional libraries or dependencies.
  • Efficient: The Double.parseDouble() method is a highly optimized method that is designed to be very efficient at converting strings to doubles. It is much faster than manually parsing the string character by character, especially for larger strings.
  • Flexible: The Double.parseDouble() method is very flexible and can handle a wide range of input formats, including scientific notation, negative numbers, and leading/trailing whitespace.
  • Exception: The Double.parseDouble() method will throw a NumberFormatException if the input string is not a valid double. This makes it easy to handle errors and validate user input.

Overall, Double.parseDouble() is a reliable and efficient way to convert a string to a double in Java, and it is widely used in many Java applications.

Sample Problems for converting String into Double in Java

Sample Question 1

Write code with the use of the Double.parseDouble() method for converting string to double by taking the input from the user.

Solution:

This Java code prompts the user to enter a string representing a numeric value, and then attempts to convert it to a double using the Double.parseDouble() method. The program uses a Scanner object to read input from the console and stores the input in a String variable called strValue. If the conversion to double is successful, the program prints the original string value and the converted double value to the console. If the conversion fails, the program catches the NumberFormatException and prints an error message explaining the reason for the failure. The program then closes the Scanner object to release resources using a finally block.

import java.util.Scanner;

public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Create a new Scanner object to read input from the console
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

        // Prompt the user to enter a string containing a numeric value
        System.out.print("Please enter a number: ");

        // Read the input from the console
        String strValue = scanner.nextLine();

        try {
            // Call the Double.parseDouble() method to convert the string to a double
            double doubleValue = Double.parseDouble(strValue);

            // Print the result to the console
            System.out.println("The string value '" + strValue + "' converted to double is: " + doubleValue);
        } catch (NumberFormatException ex) {
            // Handle the exception if the string is not a valid double
            System.out.println("Unable to convert the string value '" + strValue + "' to a double. Reason: " + ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            // Close the Scanner object to release resources
            scanner.close();
        }
    }
}

Output:

Original string: 2.15
Parsed double: 2.15

Sample Question 2

Write code with the use of the Double.valueOf() method for converting string to double by taking the input from the user.

Solution:

The program starts by creating a Scanner object to read input from the console and prompts the user to enter a string containing a numeric value. It then reads the input as a String variable called strValue. The program uses the Double.valueOf() method to convert the string to a Double object. If the conversion is successful, the program prints the original string value and the converted double value to the console. If the conversion fails, the program catches the NumberFormatException and prints an error message explaining the reason for the failure. Finally, the program closes the Scanner object to release resources

import java.util.Scanner;

public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Create a new Scanner object to read input from the console
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

        // Prompt the user to enter a string containing a numeric value
        System.out.print("Please enter a number: ");

        // Read the input from the console
        String strValue = scanner.nextLine();

        try {
            // Call the Double.valueOf() method to convert the string to a double
            Double doubleValue = Double.valueOf(strValue);

            // Print the result to the console
            System.out.println("The string value '" + strValue + "' converted to double is: " + doubleValue);
        } catch (NumberFormatException ex) {
            // Handle the exception if the string is not a valid double
            System.out.println("Unable to convert the string value '" + strValue + "' to a double. Reason: " + ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            // Close the Scanner object to release resources
            scanner.close();
        }
    }
}

Output:

Please enter a number: 32
The string value '32' converted to double is: 32.0

Sample Question 3

Write code with the use of the DecimalFormatmethod for converting string to double by taking the value 123.45.

Solution:

The program starts by creating a Scanner object to read input from the console and prompts the user to enter a string containing a numeric value. It then reads the input as a String variable called strValue. The program uses a DecimalFormat object to convert the string to a double value. The parse() method of the DecimalFormat class throws a ParseException if the input string is not in the expected format. To get the resulting double value, the program uses the doubleValue() method. If the conversion is successful, the program prints the original string value and the converted double value to the console. If the conversion fails, the program catches the Exception and prints an error message explaining the reason for the failure. Finally, the program closes the Scanner object to release resources.

  import java.text.DecimalFormat;
import java.util.Scanner;

public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Create a new Scanner object to read input from the console
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

        // Prompt the user to enter a string containing a numeric value
        System.out.print("Please enter a number: ");

        // Read the input from the console
        String strValue = scanner.nextLine();

        try {
            // Create a DecimalFormat object to convert the string to a double
            DecimalFormat decimalFormat = new DecimalFormat();
            double doubleValue = decimalFormat.parse(strValue).doubleValue();

            // Print the result to the console
            System.out.println("The string value '" + strValue + "' converted to double is: " + doubleValue);
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            // Handle the exception if the string is not a valid double
            System.out.println("Unable to convert the string value '" + strValue + "' to a double. Reason: " + ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            // Close the Scanner object to release resources
            scanner.close();
        }
    }
}

Output:

Please enter a number: 45484.554
The string value '45484.554' converted to double is: 45484.554

Sample Question 4

Write code with the use of the Scanner.nextDouble()method for converting string to double with the value = ‘789.23’.

Solution:

The program starts by creating a Scanner object to read input from the console and prompts the user to enter a double value. It then reads the input as a double variable called doubleValue using the Scanner.nextDouble() method. If the user enters a valid double value, the program prints the entered value to the console. If the user enters an invalid value, such as a non-numeric input or a value that exceeds the maximum or minimum value of a double, the program will throw an exception and terminate the program. To handle these exceptions, you can add a try-catch block around the code that reads the input.

import java.util.Scanner;

public class StringToDoubleExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Create a new Scanner object to read input from the console
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

        // Prompt the user to enter a double value
        System.out.print("Please enter a number: ");

        // Read the input from the console using Scanner.nextDouble() method
        double doubleValue = scanner.nextDouble();

        // Print the result to the console
        System.out.println("The double value entered is: " + doubleValue);

        // Close the Scanner object to release resources
        scanner.close();
    }
}

Output:

Please enter a number: 789.23
The string value converted to double is: 789.23

Conclusion

It is the process of taking a string of characters and transforming it into a numerical value that can be used for mathematical operations, scientific calculations, or any other purpose where numeric data is required.

Converting a string to a double is a common task in programming, especially when working with user input or data stored in text files or databases.

By converting a string to a double, we can perform mathematical operations on the value, compare it with other numerical values, or use it to make decisions based on its magnitude or other properties.