String replace continuous whitespace only

Question

I have String like: ``` test text test ``` I want to keep single space as it is and replace multiple spaces with ` ` So it will become: ``` tets    text test ``` Can anyone here please suggest me `regex`?

Accepted Answer

You can use following replacement:

```
String replaced = str.replaceAll("((?<= ) | (?= ))", " ");
```

Live Demo: http://ideone.com/kNb7rd

Explanation: I am using lookahead and lookbehind features of Regex here. `((?<= ) | (?= ))` means find a space which is either preceded by a space `(?<= )` OR followed by a space `(?= )` This will make sure single space is not replaced but all multiple spaces are replaced. See this link for more details on lookarounds: http://www.regular-expressions.info/lookaround.html

String replace continuous whitespace only

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