[Chapter 11] PrintStream
Author: Mark Grand and Jonathan Knudsen
Date: Fri Aug 8 16:40:26 1997

#

| Chapter 11 The java.io Package |

# PrintStream

## Name

PrintStream

## Synopsis

Class Name:

  `java.io.PrintStream`

Superclass:

  `java.io.FilterOutputStream`

Immediate Subclasses:

  None

Interfaces Implemented:

  None

Availability:

  JDK 1.0 or later

## Description

The `PrintStream` class provides support for writing string representations of primitive data types and objects to an underlying output stream. As of JDK 1.1, `PrintStream` uses the system's default encoding scheme to convert characters to bytes and uses the system's own specific line separator, rather than the newline character, for separating lines of text. Although this class is not officially deprecated, its constructors are, and you should use `PrintWriter` instead of `PrintStream` in new code.

Prior to JDK 1.1, `PrintStream` did not handle Unicode characters. Any `PrintStream` methods that wrote characters only wrote the low eight bits of each character. In addition, prior to JDK 1.1, `PrintStream` used the newline character to separate lines of text, regardless of the platform. These problems have been corrected as of JDK 1.1.

All of the methods of `PrintStream` that write multiple times to the underlying output stream handle synchronization internally, so that `PrintStream` objects are thread-safe.

A `PrintStream` object is often used to write to a `BufferedOutputStream` object. Note that you can specify that the `PrintStream` be flushed every time it writes the line separator or the newline character by using the constructor that takes a `boolean` argument.

`PrintStream` objects are often used to report errors. For this reason, the methods of this class do not throw exceptions. Instead, the methods catch any exceptions thrown by any downstream `OutputStream` objects and set an internal flag, so that the object can remember that a problem occurred. You can query the internal flag by calling the `checkError()` method.

## Class Summary

    public class java.io.PrintStream extends java.io.FilterOutputStream {
      // Constructors
      public PrintStream(OutputStream out);           // Deprecated in 1.1
      public PrintStream(OutputStream out,
                         boolean autoFlush);          // Deprecated in 1.1
      // Public Instance Methods
      public boolean checkError();
      public void close();
      public void flush();
      public void print(boolean b);
      public void print(char c);
      public void print(char[] s);
      public void print(double d);
      public void print(float f);
      public void print(int i);
      public void print(long l);
      public void print(String s);
      public void print(Object obj);
      public void println();
      public void println(boolean b);
      public void println(char c);
      public void println(char[] s);
      public void println(double d);
      public void println(float f);
      public void println(int i);
      public void println(long l);
      public void println(Object obj);
      public void println(String s);
      public void write(int b);
      public void write(byte[] buf, int off, int len);
      // Protected Instance Methods
      protected void setError();                      // New in 1.1
    }

## Constructors

### PrintStream

#### public PrintStream(OutputStream out)

Availability

  Deprecated as of JDK 1.1

Parameters

  `out`

    The output stream to use.

Description

  This constructor creates a `PrintStream` object that sends output to the given `OutputStream`.

#### public PrintStream(OutputStream out, boolean autoflush)

Availability

  Deprecated as of JDK 1.1

Parameters

  `out`

    The output stream to use.

  `autoflush`

    A `boolean` value that indicates whether or not the print stream is flushed every time a newline is output.

Description

  This constructor creates a `PrintStream` object that sends output to the given `OutputStream`. If `autoflush` is `true`, every time the `PrintStream` object writes a newline character or line separator, it calls its `flush()` method. Note that this is different than with a `PrintWriter` object, which only calls its `flush()` method when a `println()` method is called.

## Public Instance Methods

### checkError

#### public boolean checkError()

Returns

  `true` if any error has occurred; `false` otherwise.

Description

  This method flushes any buffered output and returns `true` if any error has occurred. Once the error flag for a `PrintStream` object has been set, it is never cleared.

### close

#### public void close()

Overrides

  `FilterOutputStream.close()`

Description

  This method closes this print stream and releases any resources associated with the object. The method does this by calling the `close()` method of the underlying output stream and catching any exceptions that are thrown.

### flush

#### public void flush()

Overrides

  `FilterOutputStream.flush()`

Description

  This method flushes this print stream, forcing any bytes that may be buffered to be written to the underlying output stream. The method does this by calling the `flush()` method of the underlying output stream and catching any exceptions that are thrown.

### print

#### public void print(boolean b)

Parameters

  `b`

    The `boolean` value to print.

Description

  This method writes `"true"` to the underlying output stream if `b` is true; otherwise it writes `"false"`.

#### public void print(char c)

Parameters

  `c`

    The `char` value to print.

Description

  This method writes the given character to the underlying output stream.

#### public void print(char[] s)

Parameters

  `s`

    The `char` array to print.

Description

  This method writes the characters in the given array to the underlying output stream.

#### public void print(double d)

Parameters

  `d`

    The `double` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `double` value to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Double.toString(d)`.

#### public void print(float f)

Parameters

  `f`

    The `float` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `float` value to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Float.toString(f)`.

#### public void print(int i)

Parameters

  `i`

    The `int` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `int` value to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Integer.toString(i)`.

#### public void print(long l)

Parameters

  `l`

    The `long` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `long` value to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Long.toString(l)`.

#### public void print(Object obj)

Parameters

  `obj`

    The `Object` to print.

Description

  This method writes the string representation of the given `Object` to the underlying output stream. The string representation is that returned by calling the `toString()` method of `Object`.

#### public void print(String s)

Parameters

  `s`

    The `String` to print.

Description

  This method writes the given `String` to the underlying output stream. If `String` is `null`, the method writes `"null"`.

### println

#### public void println()

Description

  This method writes a line separator to the underlying output stream.

#### public void println(boolean b)

Parameters

  `b`

    The `boolean` value to print.

Description

  This method writes `"true"` to the underlying output stream if `b` is true, otherwise it writes `"false"`. In either case, the string is followed by a line separator.

#### public void println(char c)

Parameters

  `c`

    The `char` value to print.

Description

  This method writes the given character, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream.

#### public void println(char[] s)

Parameters

  `s`

    The `char` array to print.

Description

  This method writes the characters in the given array, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream.

#### public void println(double d)

Parameters

  `d`

    The `double` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `double` value, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Double.toString(d)`.

#### public void println(float f)

Parameters

  `f`

    The `float` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `float` value, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Float.toString(f)`.

#### public void println(int i)

Parameters

  `i`

    The `int` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `int` value, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Integer.toString(i)`.

#### public void println(long l)

Parameters

  `l`

    The `long` value to print.

Description

  This method writes a string representation of the given `long` value, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream. The string representation is identical to the one returned by calling `Long.toString(l)`.

#### public void println(Object obj)

Parameters

  `obj`

    The `Object` to print.

Description

  This method writes the string representation of the given `Object`, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream. The string representation is that returned by calling the `toString()` method of `Object`.

#### public void println(String s)

Parameters

  `s`

    The `String` to print.

Description

  This method writes the given `String`, followed by a line separator, to the underlying output stream. If `String` is `null`, the method writes `"null"` followed by a line separator.

### write

#### public void write(int b)

Parameters

  `b`

    The value to write to the stream.

Overrides

  `FilterOutputStream.write(int)`

Description

  This method writes the lowest eight bits of `b` to the underlying stream as a byte. The method does this by calling the `write()` method of the underlying output stream and catching any exceptions that are thrown. If necessary, the method blocks until the byte is written.

#### public void write(byte b[], int off, int len)

Parameters

  `b`

    An array of bytes to write to the stream.

  `off`

    An offset into the byte array.

  `len`

    The number of bytes to write.

Overrides

  `FilterOutputStream.write(byte[], int, int)`

Description

  This method writes the lowest eight bits of each of `len` bytes from the given array, starting `off` elements from the beginning of the array, to the underlying output stream. The method does this by calling `write(b,` `off,` `len)` for the underlying output stream and catching any exceptions that are thrown. If necessary, the method blocks until the bytes are written.

## Protected Instance Methods

### setError

#### protected void setError()

Availability

  New as of JDK 1.1

Description

  This method sets the error state of the `PrintStream` object to `true`. Any subsequent calls to `getError()` return `true`.

## Inherited Methods

Method | Inherited From | Method | Inherited From
--- | --- | --- | ---
`clone()` | `Object` | `equals(Object)` | `Object`
`finalize()` | `Object` | `getClass()` | `Object`
`hashCode()` | `Object` | `notify()` | `Object`
`notifyAll()` | `Object` | `toString()` | `Object`
`wait()` | `Object` | `wait(long)` | `Object`
`wait(long, int)` | `Object` | `write(byte[])` | `FilterOutputStream`

## See Also

`Double`, `FilterOutputStream`, `Float`, `Integer`, `Long`, `OutputStream`

PipedWriter |  | PrintWriter