Program fails to compare a String Token with a String.

I'll just post a portion of my code that I have a question about.

Code:

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String strLine = null;
  while ((strLine = br.readLine()) != null)
  {
      String outputLine1 = "";
      String key = "";
      String outputLine2 = "";
      StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(strLine, "<>", true);//System.out.println("yasar");
      while(st.hasMoreTokens())
      {
          key = st.nextToken();System.out.println(key);
          //String val = st.nextToken();
          if(key == "<"){
              outputLine1 += key;
              outputLine2 += key;
              String val = st.nextToken();
              for ( int i = 0; i < val.length(); ++i )
                  {
                  char c = strLine.charAt(i);
                  int j = (int) c;
                  int k = j+1;
                  char d = (char) k;
                  outputLine1 += c;
                  outputLine2 += d;
                  }
          }
          else if(key == ">"){
              outputLine1 += key;
              outputLine2 += key;
          }
      }
      output.write(outputLine2);
      //System.out.println(outputLine1);
      System.out.println(outputLine2);
  }

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It fails to compare the token named 'key' in the if-else if condition inside the nested while. As a result, code inside this if-else branch is never executed. Can anybody let me know why is that so? Maybe its something trivial that i'm missing..

Don't compare two Strings for equality with the == operator; use the equals( ... ) method instead.

kind regards,

Jos

Okay i figured out my problem. Strings (which are objects) can not be compared like primitive data types. I thought they can be compared the same way as i was doing in C++.

Thanks Joe. Ur help is appreciated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yasarqamar

Okay i figured out my problem. Strings (which are objects) can not be compared like primitive data types. I thought they can be compared the same way as i was doing in C++.

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You can only do that in C++ because the == operator is overloaded for the 'string' type objects. Java doesn't have full blown operator overloading (praise the lord for that) ...

kind regards,

Jos