Java: Read a string and return the string without the first two characters

Last update on May 21 2025 12:49:02 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

66. Remove First Two Except g or h

Write a Java program to read a string and return it without the first two characters. Keep the first character if it is 'g' and keep the second character if it is 'h'.

Visual Presentation:

Sample Solution:

Java Code:

import java.util.*;

// Define a class named Main
public class Main {

    // Method to exclude first 'g' and second 'h' characters from the input string
    public String exceptFirstTwo(String stng) {
        // Get the length of the input string
        int len = stng.length();
        String temp = ""; // Create an empty string

        // Iterate through each character in the input string
        for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {
            // If the current index is 0 and the character is 'g', append 'g' to the temporary string
            if (i == 0 && stng.charAt(i) == 'g')
                temp += 'g';
            // If the current index is 1 and the character is 'h', append 'h' to the temporary string
            else if (i == 1 && stng.charAt(i) == 'h')
                temp += 'h';
            // If the current index is greater than 1, append the character to the temporary string
            else if (i > 1)
                temp += stng.charAt(i);
        }
        return temp; // Return the modified string
    }

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

        String str1 = "ghost"; // Input string

        // Display the given string and the new string using exceptFirstTwo method
        System.out.println("The given strings is: " + str1);
        System.out.println("The new string is: " + m.exceptFirstTwo(str1));
    }
}

Sample Output:

The given strings is: goat
The new string is: gat

he given strings is: photo
The new string is: hoto

The given strings is: ghost
The new string is: ghost

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Java program to remove the first two characters of a string unless the first is 'g' or the second is 'h'.
• Write a Java program to conditionally retain the first two characters if they are 'g' or 'h', and remove them otherwise.
• Write a Java program to check the first two characters and remove them if they do not match the specified conditions.
• Write a Java program to process a string by preserving 'g' at the start and 'h' in the second position while truncating the rest.

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