Java: Read a string,if the string begins with "red" or "black" return that color string, otherwise return the empty string

Last update on May 21 2025 12:49:06 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

59. Begins With Color String

Write a Java program to read a string. If the string begins with "red" or "black" return that color string, otherwise return the empty string.

Visual Presentation:

Sample Solution:

Java Code:

import java.util.*;

// Define a class named Main
public class Main {
    
    // Method to pick a color from the beginning of the string
    public String pickColor(String str) {
        // Check if the string starts with "red", return "red" if true
        if (str.startsWith("red"))
            return "red";
        // Check if the string starts with "black", return "black" if true
        if (str.startsWith("black"))
            return "black";
        else
            return ""; // Return an empty string if the string doesn't start with "red" or "black"
    }

    // Main method to execute the program
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Main m = new Main(); // Create an instance of the Main class

        // Define a string to check for the color at the beginning
        String str1 = "blacksea";

        // Display the given string and the color it begins with using the pickColor method
        System.out.println("The given string is: " + str1);
        System.out.println("The string begins with the color: " + m.pickColor(str1));
    }
}

Sample Output:

The given strings is: blacksea
The string begins with the color: black

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Java program to extract a color prefix from a string if it starts with "red" or "black" using string comparison.
• Write a Java program to detect and return the prefix "red" or "black" from a string, otherwise returning an empty string.
• Write a Java program to check for multiple color prefixes at the beginning of a string and return the matched prefix.
• Write a Java program to scan a string for initial color codes ("red", "black", "blue") and output the found color.

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