Locale-Sensitive Java Method

java.lang.Float

public static float parseFloat(String s)

Internationalization (I18n) Method Overview

The parseFloat method returns a float primitive value by parsing a floating point string.

I18n Issues

The problem with calling parseFloat is not locale aware. For example, if a string is set to "2,3" where a comma is used as the decimal separator, the parseFloat method will not create the correct float primitive value. This is because it is designed to assume that a period will be used as the decimal separator.

Suggested Replacement

To ensure that locale is applied when converting from float strings to float values, use the DecimalFormat class.

For example, instead of:

float myFloat = Float.parseFloat(myFloatString);


Use:

float myFloat = 0;

//Retrieve the runtime user's locale
Locale locale = getUserLocale();

//Now call the NumberFormat factory method
//and pass the locale object
NumberFormat f = NumberFormat.getInstance(locale);

//If it is in fact an instance of DecimalFormat,
//cast it as such and use it as needed
if (f instanceof DecimalFormat) {
    try {
        myFloat = ((DecimalFormat) f).parse(myFloatString).floatValue();
    } catch (ParseException e) {}
}


Please see Number Formatting for more information.