Convert HTML Character Back to Text Using Java Standard Library

Question

I would like to convert some HTML characters back to text using Java Standard Library. I was wondering whether any library would achieve my purpose?

/**
 * @param args the command line arguments
 */
public static void main(String[] args) {
    // TODO code application logic here

    // "Happy & Sad" in HTML form.
    String s = "Happy &amp; Sad";
    System.out.println(s);

    try {
        // Change to "Happy & Sad". DOESN'T WORK!
        s = java.net.URLDecoder.decode(s, "UTF-8");
        System.out.println(s);
    } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException ex) {

    }
}

5 revs, 5 users 33% · Accepted Answer · 2019-08-30 07:50:14Z

60

I think the Apache Commons Lang library's StringEscapeUtils.unescapeHtml3() and unescapeHtml4() methods are what you are looking for. See https://commons.apache.org/proper/commons-text/javadocs/api-release/org/apache/commons/text/StringEscapeUtils.html.

edited Aug 30, 2019 at 7:50

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5 revs, 5 users 33%
Bill.D

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7 Comments

Reu Over a year ago

Up to date url: commons.apache.org/lang/api-2.6/org/apache/commons/lang/…

jjohn Over a year ago

Not to beat a dead horse, but what the OP was asking for was how to translate between HTML entities and "plain" text (which is ASCII for me, but YMMV). The Jakarta lib above has unescapeHTML (and escapeHTML), which does the trick. URLDecoder still works for percent-encoding URL strings (like GET parameters).

CoDe Over a year ago

How same will support in case of Android, any idea?

Seynorth Over a year ago

Better to give the main url, the specific versions can be deleted ;) => commons.apache.org/proper/commons-lang

allemattio Over a year ago

StringEscapeUtils is deprecated. The reply just below is now the most correct.

|

4 revs, 3 users 72% · Accepted Answer · 2012-09-27 11:14:45Z

29

Here you have to just add jar file in lib jsoup in your application and then use this code.

import org.jsoup.Jsoup;

public class Encoder {
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        String s = Jsoup.parse("&lt;Fran&ccedil;ais&gt;").text();
        System.out.print(s);
    }
}

Link to download jsoup: http://jsoup.org/download

edited Sep 27, 2012 at 11:14

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4 revs, 3 users 72%
jem

2 Comments

Grux Over a year ago

This should be the accepted answer. No other library is faster nor easier to import than the amazing Jsoup.

Sattar Hummatli Over a year ago

Awesome. This is answer.

Zach Scrivena · Accepted Answer · 2009-03-01 11:29:17Z

7

java.net.URLDecoder deals only with the application/x-www-form-urlencoded MIME format (e.g. "%20" represents space), not with HTML character entities. I don't think there's anything on the Java platform for that. You could write your own utility class to do the conversion, like this one.

answered Mar 1, 2009 at 11:29

Zach Scrivena

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Comments

Rich · Accepted Answer · 2009-03-01 11:37:12Z

5

The URL decoder should only be used for decoding strings from the urls generated by html forms which are in the "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" mime type. This does not support html characters.

After a search I found a Translate class within the HTML Parser library.

answered Mar 1, 2009 at 11:37

community wiki

Rich

1 Comment

Miguel Over a year ago

very good library, now it's easy to do something like <github.com/jgm/pandoc/blob/master/src/Text/Pandoc/Writers/…>

3 revs, 3 users 73% · Accepted Answer · 2017-12-12 11:57:17Z

4

You can use the class org.apache.commons.lang.StringEscapeUtils:

String s = StringEscapeUtils.unescapeHtml("Happy &amp; Sad")

It is working.

edited Dec 12, 2017 at 11:57

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3 revs, 3 users 73%
Bruno Barros

1 Comment

Andrea Girardi Over a year ago

I prefer this solution. When possible I suggest using Apache libs. (my opinion)

rogeriopvl · Accepted Answer · 2009-03-01 11:15:37Z

2

I'm not aware of any way to do it using the standard library. But I do know and use this class that deals with html entities.

"HTMLEntities is an Open Source Java class that contains a collection of static methods (htmlentities, unhtmlentities, ...) to convert special and extended characters into HTML entitities and vice versa."

http://www.tecnick.com/public/code/cp_dpage.php?aiocp_dp=htmlentities

answered Mar 1, 2009 at 11:15

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rogeriopvl

Comments

Heriberto Gutiérrez Gutiérrez · Accepted Answer · 2018-04-07 00:02:10Z

2

Or you can use unescapeHtml4:

    String miCadena="GU&#205;A TELEF&#211;NICA";
    System.out.println(StringEscapeUtils.unescapeHtml4(miCadena));

This code print the line: GUÍA TELEFÓNICA

answered Apr 7, 2018 at 0:02

community wiki

Heriberto Gutiérrez Gutiérrez

Comments

2 revs, 2 users 94% · Accepted Answer · 2017-03-10 12:41:04Z

1

As @jem suggested, it is possible to use jsoup.

With jSoup 1.8.3 it il possible to use the method Parser.unescapeEntities that retain the original html.

import org.jsoup.parser.Parser;
...
String html = Parser.unescapeEntities(original_html, false);

It seems that in some previous release this method is not present.

edited Mar 10, 2017 at 12:41

community wiki

2 revs, 2 users 94%
Daniele

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