String.replaceAll(str, str) is leading to infinite loop. Help?

The String variable body is assigned a value by the user and then this code should be replacing any number of carriage returns with a single string "<*>".

If I run just the first replaceAll() then it works fine. If I run either of the codes blow then the program stalls.

Code:

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body = body.replaceAll("\n", "<*>");

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Code:

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body = body.replaceAll("<*><*>", "<*>");

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I also tried a while loop

Code:

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while(body.indexOf("<*><*>") != -1)
body.replaceNext("<*><*>", "<*>");

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Like I said, they all ended in a stalled program.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Here is a compilable test code:

Code:

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public class Test {

        public static void main(String[] args){
                String body = "This is a \n\n test of a code I would like\n\n to work.. \nbut\n\n it is not working.\n";
                System.err.println(body);
               
                body = body.replaceAll("\n", "<*>");
                System.err.println(body);
               
                body = body.replaceAll("<*><*>", "<*>");
                System.err.println(body);
        }
}

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For some reason it is not stalling in this but it is also not replacing anything. Thoughts?

The first argument is a regex, and * is a special regex character (zero or more times) so you have to escape it -> Geek And Poke: The Geek Joke Of The Week :D

Try body = body.replaceAll("<\\*><\\*>", "<*>");

edit: or change your first replace statement --> body = body.replaceAll("\n+", "<*>");

Thanks so much! Makes complete sense now that you say it.

edit: And the comic is fantastic! LOL!