PrintStream Class
Package: java.io
The PrintStream class is similar to the PrintWriter class in that it lets you write data to an output stream. PrintStream and PrintWriter have nearly identical methods. The primary difference is that PrintStream writes raw bytes in the machine’s native character format, and PrintWriter converts bytes to recognized encoding schemes. Thus, files created with PrintWriter are more compatible across different platforms than files created with PrintStream.
In general, you should use PrintWriter rather than PrintStream. However, the most common way to write console output — System.out — uses PrintStream to write data to the operator’s console. Using System.out is the only time you should use PrintStream instead of PrintWriter. Because both classes provide the same methods, though, you probably won’t be aware of the difference when you use System.out.
The PrintStream class is one of many Java I/O classes that use streams. For more information, see Streams (Overview).
Constructors
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Constructor |
Description |
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Creates a print stream for the specified output stream. |
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Creates a print stream for the specified output stream. If the second parameter is |
Methods
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Method |
Description |
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Closes the file. |
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Writes the contents of the buffer to the hard drive. |
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Writes the value, which can be any primitive type or any object. If the value is an object, the object’s |
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Writes the value, which can be any primitive type or any object. If the value is an object, the object’s |
Writing to PrintStream
The most common way to write data to a PrintStream is with the println method, which writes a complete line of text. For example:
System.out.println(“Good Morning!”);