2.2. Strings

Java	Vala
Data type: String	Data type: string (lower case)
Equality test: str1.equals(str2)	Equality test: str1 == str2

String comparisons compare content, not reference. You can compare strings lexicographically with <, >, <=, >= etc. Strings can be used with switch.

Vala strings are UTF-8 encoded.

Additional Vala String Features

Vala supports verbatim strings: """..."""

string verbatim = """Verbatim strings don't evaluate escape sequences
like \n, \t, ... and may span multiple lines.
The line breaks are part of the string.
You can use quotation marks (") and backslashes (\)
inside a verbatim string without escaping them.""";

Vala supports string templates: @"...". String templates may contain expressions, prefixed by a $ sign.

string name = "John";
stdout.printf (@"Welcome, $name!");
stdout.printf (@"3 + 2 = $(3 + 2)");