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Wrapper Classes in Java
Wrapper classes are used to convert primitive data types into objects and vice versa. They are part
of the java.lang package. Wrapper classes encapsulate primitive data types (like int, float, char, etc.)
into objects.
Primitive Type Wrapper Class
byte Byte
short Short
int Integer
long Long
float Float
double Double
char Character
boolean Boolean
Autoboxing and Unboxing
Autoboxing:
• Definition: Automatic conversion of a primitive type into its corresponding wrapper class
object.
• Example 1:
int a = 10;
Integer a2 = new Integer(a); // older style, not recommended (Known as boxing)
• Example 2:
Integer a3 = 5; // autoboxing from int to Integer
Unboxing:
• Definition: Automatic conversion of a wrapper class object back into a primitive type.
• Example:
Integer i = new Integer(50); // Here i stores an Integer Object
int a = i; // unboxing from Integer to int
Useful Character Class Methods
These methods operate on char values and help with character classification and conversion:
Method Description Example
Character.toUpperCase(char) Converts a character to uppercase 'a' → 'A'
Character.toLowerCase(char) Converts a character to lowercase 'Z' → 'z'
Character.isUpperCase(char) Checks if the character is uppercase 'A' → true, 'a' → false
Character.isLowerCase(char) Checks if the character is lowercase 'z' → true
Character.isWhitespace(char) Checks if the character is a whitespace ' ' → true
Character.isDigit(char) Checks if the character is a digit '5' → true
Character.isLetter(char) Checks if the character is a letter 'a' → true, '1' → false
Character.isLetterOrDigit(char) Checks if the character is a letter or digit 'a', '1' → true
Converting Strings to Primitive Types
Use the parseDataType() methods of wrapper classes to convert strings to primitive values.
Syntax:
data_type var = WrapperClass.parseDataType("String");
Examples:
int a = Integer.parseInt("10");
float f = Float.parseFloat("10.5");
double d = Double.parseDouble("15.06");
String s = "20";
int x = Integer.parseInt(s);
float y = Float.parseFloat(s);
Alternative: valueOf() Method
• Returns wrapper class object instead of a primitive type.
• Can also be used for conversion from String
Examples:
Integer a = Integer.valueOf("10");
Float f = Float.valueOf("10.5");
Double d = Double.valueOf("20.3");
Converting Primitives to Strings
You can convert numbers to String using:
1. toString() method:
String s1 = Integer.toString(10);
String s2 = Double.toString(13.12);
String s2= Float.toString(12.3);
String s4= Long.toString(50);
2. String.valueOf() method (more flexible):
int n = 123;
String s = String.valueOf(n); // works for all types (converts any primitive type to String)
double d = 45.67;
String str = String.valueOf(d);
long k=50L;
String s5= String.valueOf(k);
Difference between parseDataType() and valueOf()
Feature / Criteria parseDataType() valueOf()
Return Type Returns a primitive type Returns a wrapper class object
Return Example int, float, double, etc. Integer, Float, Double, etc.
Usage To get a primitive from a String To get a wrapper object from a String
Example int x = Integer.parseInt("10"); Integer x = Integer.valueOf("10");
**Both valueOf() and parseDataType can be used to convert String to primitive (call with appropriate
Wrapper class)
Possible Errors: (Runtime Errors)
Code Example Method Error Type Explanation
Used
Integer.parseInt("abc"); parseInt() NumberFormatException "abc" is not a
number
Integer.parseInt("10.5"); parseInt() NumberFormatException Decimal value in
integer parsing
Integer.parseInt(""); parseInt() NumberFormatException Empty string is
invalid
Integer.parseInt(null); parseInt() NumberFormatException / Null input
NullPointerException
Float.parseFloat("12.3abc"); parseFloat() NumberFormatException Trailing non-
numeric
characters
Java Library Classes – A Brief Overview
What are Library Classes?
• Library classes are predefined classes in Java that are part of the Java API (Application
Programming Interface).
• These classes provide ready-made functionality to handle common programming tasks like:
o Math operations
o String manipulation
o Data structures
o File handling
o Input/Output
o Networking
o GUI programming
These classes are grouped into packages (e.g., java.lang, java.util, java.io).
Commonly Used Java Library Classes
Class Name Package Purpose / Use Case
String java.lang For creating and manipulating text
Math java.lang Provides math functions like sqrt(), pow(), etc.
Integer, Double, Character, etc. java.lang Wrapper classes for primitive types
ArrayList, HashMap, HashSet java.util Data structures for storing and managing collections
Scanner java.util For taking input from the user
Random java.util For generating random numbers
File, FileReader, BufferedReader java.io File handling (read/write files)
LocalDate, LocalTime java.time Date and time manipulation
java.lang is automatically imported.
Other classes must be imported using import statement.
Useful for efficient, cleaner, and faster development.
Subhasis
