- Description
- Field Summary
- Constructor Summary
- Method Summary
- Field Details
- Constructor Details
- PrintWriter(Writer)
- PrintWriter(Writer, boolean)
- PrintWriter(OutputStream)
- PrintWriter(OutputStream, boolean)
- PrintWriter(OutputStream, boolean, Charset)
- PrintWriter(String)
- PrintWriter(String, String)
- PrintWriter(String, Charset)
- PrintWriter(File)
- PrintWriter(File, String)
- PrintWriter(File, Charset)
- Method Details
- flush()
- close()
- checkError()
- setError()
- clearError()
- write(int)
- write(char[], int, int)
- write(char[])
- write(String, int, int)
- write(String)
- print(boolean)
- print(char)
- print(int)
- print(long)
- print(float)
- print(double)
- print(char[])
- print(String)
- print(Object)
- println()
- println(boolean)
- println(char)
- println(int)
- println(long)
- println(float)
- println(double)
- println(char[])
- println(String)
- println(Object)
- printf(String, Object...)
- printf(Locale, String, Object...)
- format(String, Object...)
- format(Locale, String, Object...)
- append(CharSequence)
- append(CharSequence, int, int)
- append(char)
Class PrintWriter
Unlike the PrintStream class, if automatic flushing is enabled it will be done only when one of the println, printf, or format methods is invoked, rather than whenever a newline character happens to be output. These methods use the platform's own notion of line separator rather than the newline character.
Methods in this class never throw I/O exceptions, although some of its constructors may. The client may inquire as to whether any errors have occurred by invoking checkError().
This class always replaces malformed and unmappable character sequences with the charset's default replacement string. The CharsetEncoder class should be used when more control over the encoding process is required.
-
Field Summary
FieldsModifier and TypeFieldDescriptionprotected WriterThe underlying character-output stream of this PrintWriter. -
Constructor Summary
ConstructorsConstructorDescriptionPrintWriter(File file)Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file.Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file and charset.Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file and charset.PrintWriter(OutputStream out)Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, from an existing OutputStream.PrintWriter(OutputStream out, boolean autoFlush)Creates a new PrintWriter from an existing OutputStream.Creates a new PrintWriter from an existing OutputStream.PrintWriter(Writer out)Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing.PrintWriter(Writer out, boolean autoFlush)Creates a new PrintWriter.PrintWriter(String fileName)Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file name.Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file name and charset.Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file name and charset. -
Method Summary
All MethodsInstance MethodsConcrete MethodsModifier and TypeMethodDescriptionappend(char c)Appends the specified character to this writer.append(CharSequence csq)Appends the specified character sequence to this writer.append(CharSequence csq, int start, int end)Appends a subsequence of the specified character sequence to this writer.booleanFlushes the stream if it's not closed and checks its error state.protected voidClears the error state of this stream.voidclose()Closes the stream and releases any system resources associated with it.voidflush()Flushes the stream.Writes a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments.Writes a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments.voidprint(boolean b)Prints a boolean value.voidprint(char c)Prints a character.voidprint(char[] s)Prints an array of characters.voidprint(double d)Prints a double-precision floating-point number.voidprint(float f)Prints a floating-point number.voidprint(int i)Prints an integer.voidprint(long l)Prints a long integer.voidPrints an object.voidPrints a string.A convenience method to write a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments.A convenience method to write a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments.voidprintln()Terminates the current line by writing the line separator string.voidprintln(boolean x)Prints a boolean value and then terminates the line.voidprintln(char x)Prints a character and then terminates the line.voidprintln(char[] x)Prints an array of characters and then terminates the line.voidprintln(double x)Prints a double-precision floating-point number and then terminates the line.voidprintln(float x)Prints a floating-point number and then terminates the line.voidprintln(int x)Prints an integer and then terminates the line.voidprintln(long x)Prints a long integer and then terminates the line.voidPrints an Object and then terminates the line.voidPrints a String and then terminates the line.protected voidsetError()Sets the error state of the stream to true.voidwrite(char[] buf)Writes an array of characters.voidwrite(char[] buf, int off, int len)Writes A Portion of an array of characters.voidwrite(int c)Writes a single character.voidWrites a string.voidWrites a portion of a string.Methods declared in class Writer
nullWriterModifier and TypeMethodDescriptionstatic WriterReturns a new Writer which discards all characters.Methods declared in class Object
clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, waitModifier and TypeMethodDescriptionprotected Objectclone()Creates and returns a copy of this object.booleanIndicates whether some other object is "equal to" this one.protected voidfinalize()Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.Finalization is deprecated and subject to removal in a future release.final Class<?>getClass()Returns the runtime class of this Object.inthashCode()Returns a hash code value for this object.final voidnotify()Wakes up a single thread that is waiting on this object's monitor.final voidWakes up all threads that are waiting on this object's monitor.toString()Returns a string representation of the object.final voidwait()Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted.final voidwait(long timeoutMillis)Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.final voidwait(long timeoutMillis, int nanos)Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.
-
Field Details
-
out
The underlying character-output stream of this PrintWriter.Since: 1.2
-
-
Constructor Details
-
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing.Parameters: out - A character-output stream -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter.Parameters: out - A character-output stream autoFlush - A boolean; if true, the println, printf, or format methods will flush the output buffer -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, from an existing OutputStream. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will convert characters into bytes using the default charset, or where out is a PrintStream, the charset used by the print stream.Parameters: out - An output stream See Also: -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter from an existing OutputStream. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will convert characters into bytes using the default charset, or where out is a PrintStream, the charset used by the print stream.Parameters: out - An output stream autoFlush - A boolean; if true, the println, printf, or format methods will flush the output buffer See Also: -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter from an existing OutputStream. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will convert characters into bytes using the specified charset.Parameters: out - An output stream autoFlush - A boolean; if true, the println, printf, or format methods will flush the output buffer charset - A charset Since: 10 -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file name. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will encode characters using the default charset for this instance of the Java virtual machine.Parameters: fileName - The name of the file to use as the destination of this writer. If the file exists then it will be truncated to zero size; otherwise, a new file will be created. The output will be written to the file and is buffered. Throws: FileNotFoundException - If the given string does not denote an existing, writable regular file and a new regular file of that name cannot be created, or if some other error occurs while opening or creating the file Since: 1.5 See Also: -
PrintWriter
public PrintWriter(String fileName, String csn) throws FileNotFoundException, UnsupportedEncodingExceptionCreates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file name and charset. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will encode characters using the provided charset.Parameters: fileName - The name of the file to use as the destination of this writer. If the file exists then it will be truncated to zero size; otherwise, a new file will be created. The output will be written to the file and is buffered. csn - The name of a supported charset Throws: FileNotFoundException - If the given string does not denote an existing, writable regular file and a new regular file of that name cannot be created, or if some other error occurs while opening or creating the file UnsupportedEncodingException - If the named charset is not supported Since: 1.5 -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file name and charset. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will encode characters using the provided charset.Parameters: fileName - The name of the file to use as the destination of this writer. If the file exists then it will be truncated to zero size; otherwise, a new file will be created. The output will be written to the file and is buffered. charset - A charset Throws: IOException - if an I/O error occurs while opening or creating the file Since: 10 -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will encode characters using the default charset for this instance of the Java virtual machine.Parameters: file - The file to use as the destination of this writer. If the file exists then it will be truncated to zero size; otherwise, a new file will be created. The output will be written to the file and is buffered. Throws: FileNotFoundException - If the given file object does not denote an existing, writable regular file and a new regular file of that name cannot be created, or if some other error occurs while opening or creating the file Since: 1.5 See Also: -
PrintWriter
public PrintWriter(File file, String csn) throws FileNotFoundException, UnsupportedEncodingExceptionCreates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file and charset. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will encode characters using the provided charset.Parameters: file - The file to use as the destination of this writer. If the file exists then it will be truncated to zero size; otherwise, a new file will be created. The output will be written to the file and is buffered. csn - The name of a supported charset Throws: FileNotFoundException - If the given file object does not denote an existing, writable regular file and a new regular file of that name cannot be created, or if some other error occurs while opening or creating the file UnsupportedEncodingException - If the named charset is not supported Since: 1.5 -
PrintWriter
Creates a new PrintWriter, without automatic line flushing, with the specified file and charset. This convenience constructor creates the necessary intermediate OutputStreamWriter, which will encode characters using the provided charset.Parameters: file - The file to use as the destination of this writer. If the file exists then it will be truncated to zero size; otherwise, a new file will be created. The output will be written to the file and is buffered. charset - A charset Throws: IOException - if an I/O error occurs while opening or creating the file Since: 10
-
-
Method Details
-
flush
-
close
-
checkError
public boolean checkError()Flushes the stream if it's not closed and checks its error state.Returns: true if and only if this stream has encountered an IOException, or the setError method has been invoked -
setError
protected void setError()Sets the error state of the stream to true.This method will cause subsequent invocations of checkError() to return true until clearError() is invoked.
-
clearError
protected void clearError()Clears the error state of this stream.Since: 1.6This method will cause subsequent invocations of checkError() to return false until another write operation fails and invokes setError().
-
write
-
write
public void write(char[] buf, int off, int len)Writes A Portion of an array of characters.Specified by: write in class Writer Parameters: buf - Array of characters off - Offset from which to start writing characters len - Number of characters to write Throws: IndexOutOfBoundsException - If the values of the off and len parameters cause the corresponding method of the underlying Writer to throw an IndexOutOfBoundsException -
write
-
write
Writes a portion of a string.Overrides: write in class Writer Parameters: s - A String off - Offset from which to start writing characters len - Number of characters to write Throws: IndexOutOfBoundsException - If the values of the off and len parameters cause the corresponding method of the underlying Writer to throw an IndexOutOfBoundsException -
write
-
print
public void print(boolean b)Prints a boolean value. The string produced by String.valueOf(boolean) is translated into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: b - The boolean to be printed See Also: -
print
public void print(char c)Prints a character. The character is translated into one or more bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: c - The char to be printed See Also: -
print
public void print(int i)Prints an integer. The string produced by String.valueOf(int) is translated into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: i - The int to be printed See Also: -
print
public void print(long l)Prints a long integer. The string produced by String.valueOf(long) is translated into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: l - The long to be printed See Also: -
print
public void print(float f)Prints a floating-point number. The string produced by String.valueOf(float) is translated into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: f - The float to be printed See Also: -
print
public void print(double d)Prints a double-precision floating-point number. The string produced by String.valueOf(double) is translated into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: d - The double to be printed See Also: -
print
public void print(char[] s)Prints an array of characters. The characters are converted into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: s - The array of chars to be printed Throws: NullPointerException - If s is null See Also: -
print
Prints a string. If the argument is null then the string "null" is printed. Otherwise, the string's characters are converted into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: s - The String to be printed See Also: -
print
Prints an object. The string produced by the String.valueOf(Object) method is translated into bytes according to the default charset, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.Parameters: obj - The Object to be printed See Also: -
println
public void println()Terminates the current line by writing the line separator string. The line separator is System.lineSeparator() and is not necessarily a single newline character ('\n'). -
println
public void println(boolean x)Prints a boolean value and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(boolean) and then println().Parameters: x - the boolean value to be printed -
println
public void println(char x)Prints a character and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(char) and then println().Parameters: x - the char value to be printed -
println
public void println(int x)Prints an integer and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(int) and then println().Parameters: x - the int value to be printed -
println
public void println(long x)Prints a long integer and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(long) and then println().Parameters: x - the long value to be printed -
println
public void println(float x)Prints a floating-point number and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(float) and then println().Parameters: x - the float value to be printed -
println
public void println(double x)Prints a double-precision floating-point number and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(double) and then println().Parameters: x - the double value to be printed -
println
public void println(char[] x)Prints an array of characters and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(char[]) and then println().Parameters: x - the array of char values to be printed -
println
Prints a String and then terminates the line. This method behaves as though it invokes print(String) and then println().Parameters: x - the String value to be printed -
println
Prints an Object and then terminates the line. This method calls at first String.valueOf(x) to get the printed object's string value, then behaves as though it invokes print(String) and then println().Parameters: x - The Object to be printed. -
printf
A convenience method to write a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments. If automatic flushing is enabled, calls to this method will flush the output buffer.Parameters: format - A format string as described in Format string syntax. args - Arguments referenced by the format specifiers in the format string. If there are more arguments than format specifiers, the extra arguments are ignored. The number of arguments is variable and may be zero. The maximum number of arguments is limited by the maximum dimension of a Java array as defined by The Java Virtual Machine Specification. The behaviour on a null argument depends on the conversion. Returns: This writer Throws: IllegalFormatException - If a format string contains an illegal syntax, a format specifier that is incompatible with the given arguments, insufficient arguments given the format string, or other illegal conditions. For specification of all possible formatting errors, see the Details section of the formatter class specification. NullPointerException - If the format is null Since: 1.5An invocation of this method of the form out.printf(format, args) behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation
Copy out.format(format, args) -
printf
A convenience method to write a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments. If automatic flushing is enabled, calls to this method will flush the output buffer.Parameters: l - The locale to apply during formatting. If l is null then no localization is applied. format - A format string as described in Format string syntax. args - Arguments referenced by the format specifiers in the format string. If there are more arguments than format specifiers, the extra arguments are ignored. The number of arguments is variable and may be zero. The maximum number of arguments is limited by the maximum dimension of a Java array as defined by The Java Virtual Machine Specification. The behaviour on a null argument depends on the conversion. Returns: This writer Throws: IllegalFormatException - If a format string contains an illegal syntax, a format specifier that is incompatible with the given arguments, insufficient arguments given the format string, or other illegal conditions. For specification of all possible formatting errors, see the Details section of the formatter class specification. NullPointerException - If the format is null Since: 1.5An invocation of this method of the form out.printf(l, format, args) behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation
Copy out.format(l, format, args) -
format
Writes a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments. If automatic flushing is enabled, calls to this method will flush the output buffer.Parameters: format - A format string as described in Format string syntax. args - Arguments referenced by the format specifiers in the format string. If there are more arguments than format specifiers, the extra arguments are ignored. The number of arguments is variable and may be zero. The maximum number of arguments is limited by the maximum dimension of a Java array as defined by The Java Virtual Machine Specification. The behaviour on a null argument depends on the conversion. Returns: This writer Throws: IllegalFormatException - If a format string contains an illegal syntax, a format specifier that is incompatible with the given arguments, insufficient arguments given the format string, or other illegal conditions. For specification of all possible formatting errors, see the Details section of the Formatter class specification. NullPointerException - If the format is null Since: 1.5The locale always used is the one returned by Locale.getDefault(), regardless of any previous invocations of other formatting methods on this object.
-
format
Writes a formatted string to this writer using the specified format string and arguments. If automatic flushing is enabled, calls to this method will flush the output buffer.Parameters: l - The locale to apply during formatting. If l is null then no localization is applied. format - A format string as described in Format string syntax. args - Arguments referenced by the format specifiers in the format string. If there are more arguments than format specifiers, the extra arguments are ignored. The number of arguments is variable and may be zero. The maximum number of arguments is limited by the maximum dimension of a Java array as defined by The Java Virtual Machine Specification. The behaviour on a null argument depends on the conversion. Returns: This writer Throws: IllegalFormatException - If a format string contains an illegal syntax, a format specifier that is incompatible with the given arguments, insufficient arguments given the format string, or other illegal conditions. For specification of all possible formatting errors, see the Details section of the formatter class specification. NullPointerException - If the format is null Since: 1.5 -
append
Appends the specified character sequence to this writer.Specified by: append in interface Appendable Overrides: append in class Writer Parameters: csq - The character sequence to append. If csq is null, then the four characters "null" are appended to this writer. Returns: This writer Since: 1.5An invocation of this method of the form out.append(csq) when csq is not null, behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation
Copy out.write(csq.toString())Depending on the specification of toString for the character sequence csq, the entire sequence may not be appended. For instance, invoking the toString method of a character buffer will return a subsequence whose content depends upon the buffer's position and limit.
-
append
Appends a subsequence of the specified character sequence to this writer.Specified by: append in interface Appendable Overrides: append in class Writer Parameters: csq - The character sequence from which a subsequence will be appended. If csq is null, then characters will be appended as if csq contained the four characters "null". start - The index of the first character in the subsequence end - The index of the character following the last character in the subsequence Returns: This writer Throws: IndexOutOfBoundsException - If start or end are negative, start is greater than end, or end is greater than csq.length() Since: 1.5An invocation of this method of the form out.append(csq, start, end) when csq is not null, behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation
Copy out.write(csq.subSequence(start, end).toString()) -
append
Appends the specified character to this writer.Specified by: append in interface Appendable Overrides: append in class Writer Parameters: c - The 16-bit character to append Returns: This writer Since: 1.5An invocation of this method of the form out.append(c) behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation
Copy out.write(c)
-
Report a bug or suggest an enhancement
For further API reference and developer documentation see the Java SE Documentation, which contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples. Other versions.
Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates in the US and other countries.
Copyright © 1993, 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 USA.
All rights reserved. Use is subject to license terms and the documentation redistribution policy.