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Easy-to-follow steps on using double quotes in Java when " doesn't work

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Last Updated: February 4, 2024 Tested

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Using an Escape Character

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Using ASCII Code

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You've discovered that the double quote symbol " will not work inside a Java print instruction. You'll need to find an alternate way to tell the compiler to print this symbol, instead of interpreting it as instructions to close the string. The escape character is the most straightforward way to do this. While there's no need to learn the ASCII code in this case, it's another handy option to know for symbols that do not have an escape sequence.

Things You Should Know

The easiest way to signal a quotation mark in Java is to use the backslash key.
Surround the text you want to print with quotation marks in backslashes.
Alternatively, use "char(34)" to represent quotation marks.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using an Escape Character

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$Step 1 Type the escape character \.$

1
Type the escape character \. As you know, the double quote symbol " has a special meaning in Java (displaying text). Whenever you want to ignore one of these meanings, use the escape character \ (backslash). This character tells the compiler that the next character is part of an alternate instruction.
- Make sure you are hitting the backslash key, not the forward slash. The backslash key is next to the } key on most English keyboards.
$Step 2 Type \" to display the double quote.$

2
Type \" to display the double quote. These two characters together are called an escape sequence. Each escape sequence has a special meaning. In this case, \" just means "insert a double quote symbol here,", without interpreting it as the beginning or end of text.
- You will need to use this sequence for each individual double quote you want to display.
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The escape sequence does not affect the rest of your code. There is no need to type anything else to return to normal programming.
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Remember to insert ordinary Java quotes as needed. One common mistake is to leave out the plain old " mark in your program. Remember that \" is just for display, and does not remove the need to encase your display text in quotation marks. Here's an example:
- 1. The string for displaying "Hello" is \"Hello\"
- 2. To instruct the compiler to print this text, we wrap it in quotes: "\"Hello\"".
- 3. Here's what this looks like in a complete line of code:
  System.out.println("\"Hello\"");

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using ASCII Code

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1
Use char(34) to represent double quotes. Java can easily represent ASCII symbols using the char type. 34 is the ASCII code for the " symbol, so write char(34) to display " without using its special meaning.
- You can look up a symbol's ASCII code by searching for an ASCII code table online.
2
Place this code outside of the print string. If you make the mistake of putting this code inside the string, your program will print it exactly as it appears in your program: char(34). Here's the proper method of displaying "Hello" (with the quotation marks) using this method:

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I put System.out.println(char)34 + (char)40 + "ACE" + (char)41 + (char)34); but output is 74ACE"). How do I fix it?

Community Answer

You haven't put an apostrophe (') before the Char value. It is compulsory to keep your character constant in apostrophes, e.g. char ch = '34';.

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How do I print the % symbol after any decimal value in Java?

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You need to use the printf() function. Since the % is used as a format sign, you need to escape it to literally write %, which is done by writing %%. For example, if you have your decimal value stored in a variable decValue, you can write: printf("%f %%\n", decValue); .

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How do I print \ in Java?

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The backslash character is used in Java and many other programming languages as an escape character. If you'd like to use the backslash character as normal, escape it properly ("\\").

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Here's a list of other Escape Sequences in Java:
- \t - Insert a tab in the text at this point.
- \b - Insert a backspace in the text at this point.
- \n - Insert a newline in the text at this point.
- \r - Insert a carriage return in the text at this point.
- \f - Insert a formfeed in the text at this point.
- \' - Insert a single quote character in the text at this point.
- \" - Insert a double quote character in the text at this point.
- \\ - Insert a backslash character in the text at this point.
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