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String length() and trim() Commands

You can get the length of a Strings using the length() command, or eliminate extra characters using the trim() command. This example shows you how to use both commands.

Hardware Required

• Arduino Board

Circuit

There is no circuit for this example, though your Arduino must be connected to your computer via USB.

image developed using Fritzing. For more circuit examples, see the Fritzing project page

Code

length() returns the length of a String. There are many occasions when you need this. For example,if you wanted to make sure a String was less than 140 characters, to fit it in a text message, you could do this:

/* String length() Examples of how to use length() in a String. Open the Serial Monitor and start sending characters to see the results. created 1 Aug 2010 by Tom Igoe http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/StringLengthTrim This example code is in the public domain. */ String txtMsg = ""; // a string for incoming text int lastStringLength = txtMsg.length(); // previous length of the String void setup() { // open the serial port: Serial.begin(9600); } void loop() { // add any incoming characters to the String: while (Serial.available() > 0) { char inChar = Serial.read(); txtMsg += inChar; } // print the message and a notice if it's changed: if (txtMsg.length() != lastStringLength) { Serial.println(txtMsg); Serial.println(txtMsg.length()); // if the String's longer than 140 characters, complain: if (txtMsg.length() < 140) { Serial.println("That's a perfectly acceptable text message"); } else { Serial.println("That's too long for a text message."); } // note the length for next time through the loop: lastStringLength = txtMsg.length(); } } [Get Code]

trim() is useful for when you know there are extraneous whitespace characters on the beginning or the end of a String and you want to get rid of them. Whitespace refers to characters that take space but aren't seen. It includes the single space (ASCII 32), tab (ASCII 9), vertical tab (ASCII 11), form feed (ASCII 12), carriage return (ASCII 13), or newline (ASCII 10). The example below shows a String with whitespace, before and after trimming:

/* String length() and trim() Examples of how to use length() and trim() in a String created 27 July 2010 by Tom Igoe http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/StringLengthTrim This example code is in the public domain. */ void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); Serial.println("\n\nString length() and trim():"); } void loop() { // here's a String with empty spaces at the end (called white space): String stringOne = "Hello! "; Serial.print(stringOne); Serial.print("<--- end of string. Length: "); Serial.println(stringOne.length()); // trim the white space off the string: stringOne = stringOne.trim(); Serial.print(stringOne); Serial.print("<--- end of trimmed string. Length: "); Serial.println(stringOne.length()); // do nothing while true: while(true); } [Get Code]

See Also:

• String object
• StringConstructors
• StringAdditionOperator
• StringIndexOf
• StringAppendOperator
• StringLengthTrim
• StringCaseChanges
• StringReplace
• StringCharacters
• StringStartsWithEndsWith
• StringComparisonOperators
• StringSubstring