Package org.apache.commons.codec.language

Class Soundex

java.lang.Object
org.apache.commons.codec.language.Soundex
All Implemented Interfaces:
Encoder, StringEncoder
public class Soundex
extends Object
implements StringEncoder
Encodes a string into a Soundex value. Soundex is an encoding used to relate similar names, but can also be used as a general purpose scheme to find word with similar phonemes.
Version:
$Id: Soundex.java,v 1.26 2004/07/07 23:15:24 ggregory Exp $
Author:
Apache Software Foundation

  • Field Summary

    Fields
    Modifier and Type Field Description
    static Soundex US_ENGLISH
    An instance of Soundex using the US_ENGLISH_MAPPING mapping.
    static char[] US_ENGLISH_MAPPING
    This is a default mapping of the 26 letters used in US English.
    static String US_ENGLISH_MAPPING_STRING
    This is a default mapping of the 26 letters used in US English.

  • Constructor Summary

    Constructors
    Constructor Description
    Soundex()
    Creates an instance using US_ENGLISH_MAPPING
    Soundex​(char[] mapping)
    Creates a soundex instance using the given mapping.

  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type Method Description
    int difference​(String s1, String s2)
    Encodes the Strings and returns the number of characters in the two encoded Strings that are the same.
    Object encode​(Object pObject)
    Encodes an Object using the soundex algorithm.
    String encode​(String pString)
    Encodes a String using the soundex algorithm.
    int getMaxLength()
    Deprecated.
    This feature is not needed since the encoding size must be constant.
    void setMaxLength​(int maxLength)
    Deprecated.
    This feature is not needed since the encoding size must be constant.
    String soundex​(String str)
    Retreives the Soundex code for a given String object.

    Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

    clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

  • Field Details

    • US_ENGLISH

      public static final Soundex US_ENGLISH
      An instance of Soundex using the US_ENGLISH_MAPPING mapping.
      See Also:
      US_ENGLISH_MAPPING

    • US_ENGLISH_MAPPING_STRING

      public static final String US_ENGLISH_MAPPING_STRING
      This is a default mapping of the 26 letters used in US English. A value of 0 for a letter position means do not encode.

      (This constant is provided as both an implementation convenience and to allow Javadoc to pick up the value for the constant values page.)

      See Also:
      US_ENGLISH_MAPPING, Constant Field Values

    • US_ENGLISH_MAPPING

      public static final char[] US_ENGLISH_MAPPING
      This is a default mapping of the 26 letters used in US English. A value of 0 for a letter position means do not encode.
      See Also:
      Soundex(char[])

  • Constructor Details

    • Soundex

      public Soundex()
      Creates an instance using US_ENGLISH_MAPPING
      See Also:
      Soundex(char[]), US_ENGLISH_MAPPING

    • Soundex

      public Soundex​(char[] mapping)
      Creates a soundex instance using the given mapping. This constructor can be used to provide an internationalized mapping for a non-Western character set. Every letter of the alphabet is "mapped" to a numerical value. This char array holds the values to which each letter is mapped. This implementation contains a default map for US_ENGLISH
      Parameters:
      mapping - Mapping array to use when finding the corresponding code for a given character

  • Method Details

    • difference

      public int difference​(String s1, String s2) throws EncoderException
      Encodes the Strings and returns the number of characters in the two encoded Strings that are the same. This return value ranges from 0 through 4: 0 indicates little or no similarity, and 4 indicates strong similarity or identical values.
      Parameters:
      s1 - A String that will be encoded and compared.
      s2 - A String that will be encoded and compared.
      Returns:
      The number of characters in the two encoded Strings that are the same from 0 to 4.
      Throws:
      EncoderException - if an error occurs encoding one of the strings
      Since:
      1.3
      See Also:
      MS T-SQL DIFFERENCE

    • encode

      public Object encode​(Object pObject) throws EncoderException
      Encodes an Object using the soundex algorithm. This method is provided in order to satisfy the requirements of the Encoder interface, and will throw an EncoderException if the supplied object is not of type java.lang.String.
      Specified by:
      encode in interface Encoder
      Parameters:
      pObject - Object to encode
      Returns:
      An object (or type java.lang.String) containing the soundex code which corresponds to the String supplied.
      Throws:
      EncoderException - if the parameter supplied is not of type java.lang.String
      IllegalArgumentException - if a character is not mapped

    • encode

      public String encode​(String pString)
      Encodes a String using the soundex algorithm.
      Specified by:
      encode in interface StringEncoder
      Parameters:
      pString - A String object to encode
      Returns:
      A Soundex code corresponding to the String supplied
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if a character is not mapped

    • getMaxLength

      public int getMaxLength()
      Deprecated.
      This feature is not needed since the encoding size must be constant. Will be removed in 2.0.
      Returns the maxLength. Standard Soundex
      Returns:
      int

    • setMaxLength

      public void setMaxLength​(int maxLength)
      Deprecated.
      This feature is not needed since the encoding size must be constant. Will be removed in 2.0.
      Sets the maxLength.
      Parameters:
      maxLength - The maxLength to set

    • soundex

      public String soundex​(String str)
      Retreives the Soundex code for a given String object.
      Parameters:
      str - String to encode using the Soundex algorithm
      Returns:
      A soundex code for the String supplied
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if a character is not mapped