String to long in Java

Convert a String to long in Java

The correct way to convert a String to long in Java is to use the parseLong(String x) method of the Long wrapper class. This approach is best because:

1. parseLong() returns a long primitive type, not the wrapper class
2. parseLong() uses the Long class, which is semantically correct
3. parseLong() does not require autoboxing, making it more efficient
4. parseLong() is not deprecated like other String to long conversion methods

Java String to long example

The following String to long example program converts the text String “90210” to a long, and then performs a math operation on the converted value to prove that it is behaving like a primitive long type, not a Java String.

// String to long conversion program  String beverly = "90210";  long hills = Long.parseLong(beverly);    long twoHills = hills + hills;  System.out.println(hills);    // prints  90201  System.out.println(twoHills); // prints 180402

Other String to long conversion approaches

There are other, less technically correct ways to convert a text String to a long primitive type in Java. Those String to long conversion approaches include:

• Use the parse method of another wrapper class
• Use the deprecated constructor of the Long class and autobox into a primitive long
• Use the parse method of a different wrapper class, such as Integer

Other parse String to long conversions

Every numeric wrapper class has a parse method that can be used to convert a text String to the associated primitive type:

• Integer has parseInt(String text)
• Short has parseShort(String text)
• Byte has parseByte(String text)

Each of these methods return a whole number that fits within the range of a long in Java, they can be used to convert a String to a long.

The following example uses the Integer wrapper class’ parse method to convert a text String to a long:

// Integer parseLong String to long example  String text = "10";   long face = Integer.parseInt(text);   long twoFace = face + face ;   System.out.println( face ); // prints 10   System.out.println( twoFace ); // prints 20

Since the parse methods return a primitive type, and not a wrapper class like the valueOf method or the use of a constructor, it is preferable.

String to long conversions with valueOf

All wrapper classes in Java have a valueOf method that converts a text String into an instance of that wrapper class.

• Long.valueOf(String) converts a String into a Long instance
• Integer.valueOf(String) converts a String into an Integer instance
• Short.valueOf(String) converts a String into a Short instance
• Byte.valueOf(String) converts a String into a Byte instance

Note that an instance of the Long wrapper class is different from the lower-case ‘l’ long primitive type. Fortunately, Java’s autoboxing feature typically hides the differences between them, although the extra work Java performs to autobox primitive types does come with a cost.

Example valueOf text to long conversion in Java

Here’s a Java String to long example with the valueOf method:

// Text to Long in Java with valueOf  String text = "10";   // Java String to long with autoboxing  long face = Integer.valueOf(text);   long twoFace = face + face ;   System.out.println( face ); // prints 10   System.out.println( twoFace ); // prints 20

Deprecated constructor conversion of String to long

Every Java wrapper class has a deprecated constructor that takes a String as an argument and converts that String to the corresponding type.

• new Long(String text) converts a String to a Long
• new Integer(String text) converts a String to an Integer
• new Double(String text) converts a String to a Double
• new Boolean(String text) converts a String to a Boolean

In Java 17, these methods will still work, but they are marked for removal, so this approach should definitely be avoided.

String to long prorgram with constructors

The following Java String to long program uses a deprecated constructor and autoboxing to achieve the desired result:

// Text to Long with a deprecated constructor  String textString = "20";   // The Long(String s) constructor is deprecated  long face = new Long( textString );   long threeFace = face + face + face;   System.out.print( face );    // prints out 20   System.out.print( threeFace ); // prints out 60

This approach works, but it does generate the following warning message:

Main.java:9: warning: [removal] Long(String) in Long has been deprecated and marked for removal  long face = new Long( textString );

All primitive types provide a wrapper class that will perform functions like the String to long conversion.