Java: Read a string and if one or both of the first two characters is equal to specified character return without those characters otherwise return the string unchanged

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

67. Remove Specified Start Characters

Write a Java program to read a string and remove the first two characters if one or both are equal to a specified character, otherwise leave them unchanged.

Visual Presentation:

Sample Solution:

Java Code:

import java.util.*;

// Define a class named Main
public class Main {

    // Method to exclude 'x' characters at the first two positions from the input string
    public String exceptTwoO(String stng) {
        String temp = ""; // Create an empty string

        // Iterate through each character in the input string
        for (int i = 0; i < stng.length(); i++) {
            // If the current index is 0 and the character is not 'x', append the character to the temporary string
            if (i == 0 && stng.charAt(i) != 'x')
                temp += stng.charAt(i);
            // If the current index is 1 and the character is not 'x', append the character to the temporary string
            else if (i == 1 && stng.charAt(i) != 'x')
                temp += stng.charAt(i);
            // 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 = "xxcyte"; // Input string

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

Sample Output:

The given strings is: xxcyte
The new string is: cyte

Flowchart:

Visual Presentation:

Java Code:

import java.util.*;
public class Main
{
public String exceptTwoO(String stng) 
{
  String temp = "";
  for (int i = 0; i < stng.length(); i++) 
  {
    if (i == 0 && stng.charAt(i) != 'o')
      temp += stng.charAt(i);
    else if (i == 1 && stng.charAt(i) != 'o')
      temp += stng.charAt(i);
    else if (i > 1)
      temp += stng.charAt(i);
  }
  return temp;
}
public static void main (String[] args)
    {
      Main m= new Main();
      String str1 =  "ooboat";
      System.out.println("The given strings is: "+str1);
      System.out.println("The new string is: "+m.exceptTwoO(str1));
	  }
}

Sample Output:

The given strings is: ooboat
The new string is: boat

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Java program to remove the first two characters of a string if either matches a given target character.
• Write a Java program to check the first two characters against a specified value and remove them if they match.
• Write a Java program to conditionally delete the initial two characters based on a user-provided criterion.
• Write a Java program to selectively drop the first two characters from a string when they meet a given condition.

Go to:

• Java String Exercises Home ↩
• Java Exercises Home ↩

PREV : Remove First Two Except g or h.
NEXT : Remove Specified Chars and Neighbors.

Java Code Editor:

Improve this sample solution and post your code through Disqus