Lesson 5
String Manipulation in TypeScript
Introduction

Welcome to this lesson on TypeScript, where we will explore essential string manipulation features including string tokenization, string concatenation, trimming whitespace from strings, and type conversion operations. TypeScript builds upon JavaScript with added type safety and intelligence, providing a robust development environment.

Tokenizing a String in TypeScript

In TypeScript, we can utilize the split method from the String class to tokenize a string. With TypeScript's type system, we can explicitly specify types for more clarity and safety.

TypeScript
1let sentence: string = "TypeScript is an amazing language!"; 2let tokens: string[] = sentence.split(" "); 3 4tokens.forEach((token: string) => console.log(token)); 5 6// Output: 7// TypeScript 8// is 9// an 10// amazing 11// language!

Here, we declare a string variable sentence and specify it should be treated as a string. The tokens variable is typed as a string array string[], providing clear expectations of the variable's contents. The forEach method iterates over each token, ensuring the type remains consistent throughout the operations.

Exploring String Concatenation

In TypeScript, we leverage the + operator and template literals, gaining added type safety with clear error feedback during development:

Using the + Operator:

TypeScript
1let str1: string = "Hello,"; 2let str2: string = " World!"; 3let greeting: string = str1 + str2; 4console.log(greeting); // Output: "Hello, World!"

Using Template Literals:

TypeScript
1let str1: string = "Hello,"; 2let str2: string = " World!"; 3let greeting: string = `${str1}${str2}`; 4console.log(greeting); // Output: "Hello, World!"

Using Array join Method:

TypeScript
1let strings: string[] = ["Hello", " World!", " TypeScript", " Arrays!"]; 2let result: string = strings.join(""); 3console.log(result); // Output: "Hello World! TypeScript Arrays!"

TypeScript ensures that each variable is used with its intended type, providing clarity and reducing errors during string operations.

Trimming Whitespace from Strings

TypeScript supports the trim method to eliminate extra spaces, with the added benefit of type-checking:

TypeScript
1let str: string = " Hello, World! "; // string with leading and trailing spaces 2str = str.trim(); // remove leading and trailing spaces 3console.log(str); // Output: "Hello, World!"
TypeScript Type Conversions

TypeScript enhances type conversion methods by providing compile-time checks. Conversions from strings to numbers and vice versa are made safer:

TypeScript
1let numStr: string = "123"; 2let num: number = parseInt(numStr); 3console.log(num); // Output: 123 4 5let floatStr: string = "3.14"; 6let pi: number = parseFloat(floatStr); 7console.log(pi); // Output: 3.14 8 9let age: number = 20; 10let ageStr: string = age.toString(); 11console.log(`I am ${ageStr} years old.`); // Output: I am 20 years old.
Integrating String Tokenization and Type Conversions

TypeScript's type safety ensures reliable operations when combining tokenization and type conversions:

TypeScript
1let numbers: string = "1,2,3,4,6"; 2let numArray: string[] = numbers.split(","); 3let sum: number = 0; 4 5numArray.forEach((numStr: string) => { 6 sum += parseInt(numStr); 7}); 8 9let average: number = sum / numArray.length; 10console.log("The average is " + average); // Output: The average is 3.2

TypeScript's type declarations and inference help ensure that each component operates as anticipated, minimizing runtime errors.

Summary

Well done! You've mastered key string manipulation techniques in TypeScript, such as string concatenation, string tokenization, trimming whitespace, and type conversions. With TypeScript’s type safety mechanism, these features offer robust and error-resistant coding experiences. Proceed with the exercises to deepen your understanding and enhance your TypeScript skills. Happy coding!

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