Incorrect String Returns

[Dr_DerpyHooves]

I am trying to make a program that will read the String that a user inputs, remove the lower cases, remove the spaces, remove the punctuation, and reverse and add the reversed String onto the old one, but I am getting incorrect returns (testing using breakpoints and println())
Here is my code so far

import java.util.*;
public class Palindrome
{
    public String lowerCase(String str)
    {
        str.toLowerCase();
        return str;
    }

    public String reverse(String str)
    {
        if (("" == str) || (str.length()  <= 1))
        {
            return str;
        }
        else
        {
            return reverse(str.substring(1)) + str.charAt(0);
        }
    }
    public String space(String str)
    {
        int temp = 0;
        if(temp == -1)
        {
            return str;
        }
        else
        {
            return str.substring(0,temp) + space(str.substring(temp+1)); 
        }
        
        
        
    }
import java.util.*;

public class Driver
{
    private static Scanner in;
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        Palindrome pal = new Palindrome();
        in = new Scanner(System.in);
        String tempPhrase = "";
        String phrase = "";
        System.out.println("Hello and welcome to your Palindrome confirmer for a lack of a better name!");
        System.out.println("First off what is the phrase that you want us to check? ");
        tempPhrase = in.nextLine();
        phrase = tempPhrase;
        System.out.println();
        System.out.println("OK, give us a few milli-seconds of your worthless life to do this :D");
        System.out.println(phrase);
        phrase = pal.lowerCase(phrase);
        System.out.println(phrase);
        phrase = pal.reverse(phrase);
        phrase = pal.space(phrase);
        System.out.println(phrase);
        
    }
}

The print lines are what I use to test and make sure that the String properly changes with each method called.
If you could tell me how I can over come this roadblock I will be very grateful :D

[thomachan21]

Ask your IT for any help as we cannot solve it for you.
Or give you any step by step instructions
Dont ask us to review your code, as you should be able to do it yourself.

If your IT doesnt give u the response you want, then you can ask us.

[Dr_DerpyHooves]

Yeah, yeah.... You sitting next to me dude.....
I have asked the IT...

[KevinWorkman]

You're going to have to debug the different pieces of this code separately. Start with the very first thing you do. Does that work? If so, move on to the next small step and test that BY ITSELF, using hardcoded values as input and simply printing out the output. Repeat that process until you've found the offending piece, than you can create an SSCCE that further examines the problem.

[Dr_DerpyHooves]

How exactly would that be done? I am using the BlueJ program to write up my code.

[JosAH]

For a first error: line # doesn't change String str to lower casse; i.e. it returns another String converted to lower case characters; so you can combine lines #6 and #7 to one line:

return str.toLowerCase();

probably there are more errors in your code; I didn't look.

kind regards,

Jos