Where are string objects when created using tostring methods stored in memory in Java?

Question

I was doing one assignment, and I got this following question.

Where are the string objects created with the toString() method stored in memory?

String a = Integer.toString(10); 

1. In the constant pool
2. On the heap (the area of new operator object)

Answer 1

They all go into the heap memory. Only String literals and interned strings go into the String constants pool.

The only exceptions are classes like String:

public String toString() {     return this; } 

It just returns the current string (if it is on heap, it returns from the heap / if it is on string constants pool, it returns from the string constants pool)

Note : If toString() is NOT overridden to return a String Literal explicitly, the String representation (ClassName@hexValueOfHashCode) is always created on the heap.

Answer 2

It depends on the implementation of the toString() method that you are calling.

The toString() method creates the String object, so depending on how it does this (and whether it interns the string or not), the returned String will be in the string pool or not.

Note that toString() is just a method like any other method. There is no magic that handles the return value of the toString() method in any special way. (Strings returned by toString() are, for example, not interned automatically). It works in exactly the same way as with any other method that returns a String.