// ***************************************************************************************************************************
// * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file *
// * distributed with this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file        *
// * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance            *
// * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at                                                              *
// *                                                                                                                         *
// *  http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0                                                                             *
// *                                                                                                                         *
// * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an  *
// * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the        *
// * specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.                                              *
// ***************************************************************************************************************************
package org.apache.juneau.internal;

import static org.apache.juneau.internal.ThrowableUtils.*;

import java.io.*;
import java.lang.reflect.*;
import java.math.*;
import java.net.*;
import java.nio.*;
import java.nio.charset.*;
import java.text.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.util.concurrent.*;
import java.util.concurrent.atomic.*;
import java.util.regex.*;

import javax.xml.bind.*;

import org.apache.juneau.*;
import org.apache.juneau.json.*;
import org.apache.juneau.parser.*;
import org.apache.juneau.parser.ParseException;

/**
 * Reusable string utility methods.
 */
public final class StringUtils {

   private static final AsciiSet numberChars = AsciiSet.create("-xX.+-#pP0123456789abcdefABCDEF");
   private static final AsciiSet firstNumberChars =AsciiSet.create("+-.#0123456789");
   private static final AsciiSet octChars = AsciiSet.create("01234567");
   private static final AsciiSet decChars = AsciiSet.create("0123456789");
   private static final AsciiSet hexChars = AsciiSet.create("0123456789abcdefABCDEF");

   // Maps 6-bit nibbles to BASE64 characters.
   private static final char[] base64m1 = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/".toCharArray();

   // Characters that do not need to be URL-encoded
   private static final AsciiSet unencodedChars = AsciiSet.create().ranges("a-z","A-Z","0-9").chars("-_.!~*'()\\").build();

   // Characters that really do not need to be URL-encoded
   private static final AsciiSet unencodedCharsLax = unencodedChars.copy()
      .chars(":@$,")  // reserved, but can't be confused in a query parameter.
      .chars("{}|\\^[]`")  // unwise characters.
      .build();

   // Maps BASE64 characters to 6-bit nibbles.
   private static final byte[] base64m2 = new byte[128];
   static {
      for (int i = 0; i < 64; i++)
         base64m2[base64m1[i]] = (byte)i;
   }

   /**
    * Parses a number from the specified reader stream.
    *
    * @param r The reader to parse the string from.
    * @param type
    *    The number type to created.
    *    Can be any of the following:
    *    <ul>
    *       <li> Integer
    *       <li> Double
    *       <li> Float
    *       <li> Long
    *       <li> Short
    *       <li> Byte
    *       <li> BigInteger
    *       <li> BigDecimal
    *    </ul>
    *    If <jk>null</jk>, uses the best guess.
    * @throws IOException If a problem occurred trying to read from the reader.
    * @return The parsed number.
    * @throws Exception
    */
   public static Number parseNumber(ParserReader r, Class<? extends Number> type) throws Exception {
      return parseNumber(parseNumberString(r), type);
   }

   /**
    * Reads a numeric string from the specified reader.
    *
    * @param r The reader to read form.
    * @return The parsed number string.
    * @throws Exception
    */
   public static String parseNumberString(ParserReader r) throws Exception {
      r.mark();
      int c = 0;
      while (true) {
         c = r.read();
         if (c == -1)
            break;
         if (! numberChars.contains((char)c)) {
            r.unread();
            break;
         }
      }
      return r.getMarked();
   }

   /**
    * Parses a number from the specified string.
    *
    * @param s The string to parse the number from.
    * @param type
    *    The number type to created.
    *    Can be any of the following:
    *    <ul>
    *       <li> Integer
    *       <li> Double
    *       <li> Float
    *       <li> Long
    *       <li> Short
    *       <li> Byte
    *       <li> BigInteger
    *       <li> BigDecimal
    *    </ul>
    *    If <jk>null</jk> or <code>Number</code>, uses the best guess.
    * @return The parsed number, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was null.
    * @throws ParseException
    */
   public static Number parseNumber(String s, Class<? extends Number> type) throws ParseException {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      if (s.isEmpty())
         s = "0";
      if (type == null)
         type = Number.class;

      try {
         // Determine the data type if it wasn't specified.
         boolean isAutoDetect = (type == Number.class);
         boolean isDecimal = false;
         if (isAutoDetect) {
            // If we're auto-detecting, then we use either an Integer, Long, or Double depending on how
            // long the string is.
            // An integer range is -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
            // An long range is -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to +9,223,372,036,854,775,807
            isDecimal = isDecimal(s);
            if (isDecimal) {
               if (s.length() > 20)
                  type = Double.class;
               else if (s.length() >= 10)
                  type = Long.class;
               else
                  type = Integer.class;
            }
            else if (isFloat(s))
               type = Double.class;
            else
               throw new NumberFormatException(s);
         }

         if (type == Double.class || type == Double.TYPE) {
            Double d = Double.valueOf(s);
            Float f = Float.valueOf(s);
            if (isAutoDetect && (!isDecimal) && d.toString().equals(f.toString()))
               return f;
            return d;
         }
         if (type == Float.class || type == Float.TYPE)
            return Float.valueOf(s);
         if (type == BigDecimal.class)
            return new BigDecimal(s);
         if (type == Long.class || type == Long.TYPE || type == AtomicLong.class) {
            try {
               Long l = Long.decode(s);
               if (type == AtomicLong.class)
                  return new AtomicLong(l);
               if (isAutoDetect && l >= Integer.MIN_VALUE && l <= Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
                  // This occurs if the string is 10 characters long but is still a valid integer value.
                  return l.intValue();
               }
               return l;
            } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
               if (isAutoDetect) {
                  // This occurs if the string is 20 characters long but still falls outside the range of a valid long.
                  return Double.valueOf(s);
               }
               throw e;
            }
         }
         if (type == Integer.class || type == Integer.TYPE)
            return Integer.decode(s);
         if (type == Short.class || type == Short.TYPE)
            return Short.decode(s);
         if (type == Byte.class || type == Byte.TYPE)
            return Byte.decode(s);
         if (type == BigInteger.class)
            return new BigInteger(s);
         if (type == AtomicInteger.class)
            return new AtomicInteger(Integer.decode(s));
         throw new ParseException("Unsupported Number type: {0}", type.getName());
      } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
         throw new ParseException(e, "Invalid number: ''{0}'', class=''{1}''", s, type.getSimpleName());
      }
   }

   private static final Pattern fpRegex = Pattern.compile(
      "[+-]?(NaN|Infinity|((((\\p{Digit}+)(\\.)?((\\p{Digit}+)?)([eE][+-]?(\\p{Digit}+))?)|(\\.((\\p{Digit}+))([eE][+-]?(\\p{Digit}+))?)|(((0[xX](\\p{XDigit}+)(\\.)?)|(0[xX](\\p{XDigit}+)?(\\.)(\\p{XDigit}+)))[pP][+-]?(\\p{Digit}+)))[fFdD]?))[\\x00-\\x20]*"
   );

   /**
    * Converts a <code>String</code> to a <code>Character</code>
    *
    * @param o The string to convert.
    * @return The first character of the string if the string is of length 0, or <jk>null</jk> if the string is <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    * @throws ParseException If string has a length greater than 1.
    */
   public static Character parseCharacter(Object o) throws ParseException {
      if (o == null)
         return null;
      String s = o.toString();
      if (s.length() == 0)
         return null;
      if (s.length() == 1)
         return s.charAt(0);
      throw new ParseException("Invalid character: ''{0}''", s);
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if this string can be parsed by {@link #parseNumber(String, Class)}.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if this string can be parsed without causing an exception.
    */
   public static boolean isNumeric(String s) {
      if (s == null || s.isEmpty())
         return false;
      if (! isFirstNumberChar(s.charAt(0)))
         return false;
      return isDecimal(s) || isFloat(s);
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified character is a valid first character for a number.
    *
    * @param c The character to test.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified character is a valid first character for a number.
    */
   public static boolean isFirstNumberChar(char c) {
      return firstNumberChars.contains(c);
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is a floating point number.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is a floating point number.
    */
   public static boolean isFloat(String s) {
      if (s == null || s.isEmpty())
         return false;
      if (! firstNumberChars.contains(s.charAt(0)))
         return (s.equals("NaN") || s.equals("Infinity"));
      int i = 0;
      int length = s.length();
      char c = s.charAt(0);
      if (c == '+' || c == '-')
         i++;
      if (i == length)
         return false;
      c = s.charAt(i++);
      if (c == '.' || decChars.contains(c)) {
         return fpRegex.matcher(s).matches();
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is numeric.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is numeric.
    */
   public static boolean isDecimal(String s) {
      if (s == null || s.isEmpty())
         return false;
      if (! firstNumberChars.contains(s.charAt(0)))
         return false;
      int i = 0;
      int length = s.length();
      char c = s.charAt(0);
      boolean isPrefixed = false;
      if (c == '+' || c == '-') {
         isPrefixed = true;
         i++;
      }
      if (i == length)
         return false;
      c = s.charAt(i++);
      if (c == '0' && length > (isPrefixed ? 2 : 1)) {
         c = s.charAt(i++);
         if (c == 'x' || c == 'X') {
            for (int j = i; j < length; j++) {
               if (! hexChars.contains(s.charAt(j)))
                  return false;
            }
         } else if (octChars.contains(c)) {
            for (int j = i; j < length; j++)
               if (! octChars.contains(s.charAt(j)))
                  return false;
         } else {
            return false;
         }
      } else if (c == '#') {
         for (int j = i; j < length; j++) {
            if (! hexChars.contains(s.charAt(j)))
               return false;
         }
      } else if (decChars.contains(c)) {
         for (int j = i; j < length; j++)
            if (! decChars.contains(s.charAt(j)))
               return false;
      } else {
         return false;
      }
      return true;
   }

   /**
    * Convenience method for getting a stack trace as a string.
    *
    * @param t The throwable to get the stack trace from.
    * @return The same content that would normally be rendered via <code>t.printStackTrace()</code>
    */
   public static String getStackTrace(Throwable t) {
      StringWriter sw = new StringWriter();
      try (PrintWriter pw = new PrintWriter(sw)) {
         t.printStackTrace(pw);
      }
      return sw.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Join the specified tokens into a delimited string.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param separator The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String join(Object[] tokens, String separator) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      for (int i = 0; i < tokens.length; i++) {
         if (i > 0)
            sb.append(separator);
         sb.append(tokens[i]);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Join the specified tokens into a delimited string.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String join(int[] tokens, String d) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      for (int i = 0; i < tokens.length; i++) {
         if (i > 0)
            sb.append(d);
         sb.append(tokens[i]);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Join the specified tokens into a delimited string.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String join(Collection<?> tokens, String d) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      return join(tokens, d, new StringBuilder()).toString();
   }

   /**
    * Joins the specified tokens into a delimited string and writes the output to the specified string builder.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @param sb The string builder to append the response to.
    * @return The same string builder passed in as <code>sb</code>.
    */
   public static StringBuilder join(Collection<?> tokens, String d, StringBuilder sb) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return sb;
      for (Iterator<?> iter = tokens.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
         sb.append(iter.next());
         if (iter.hasNext())
            sb.append(d);
      }
      return sb;
   }

   /**
    * Joins the specified tokens into a delimited string.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String join(Object[] tokens, char d) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      return join(tokens, d, new StringBuilder()).toString();
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #join(Object[], char)} except escapes the delimiter character if found in the tokens.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String joine(Object[] tokens, char d) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      return joine(tokens, d, new StringBuilder()).toString();
   }

   private static AsciiSet getEscapeSet(char c) {
      AsciiSet s = ESCAPE_SETS.get(c);
      if (s == null) {
         s = AsciiSet.create().chars(c, '\\').build();
         ESCAPE_SETS.put(c, s);
      }
      return s;
   }
   static Map<Character,AsciiSet> ESCAPE_SETS = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();

   /**
    * Join the specified tokens into a delimited string and writes the output to the specified string builder.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @param sb The string builder to append the response to.
    * @return The same string builder passed in as <code>sb</code>.
    */
   public static StringBuilder join(Object[] tokens, char d, StringBuilder sb) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return sb;
      for (int i = 0; i < tokens.length; i++) {
         if (i > 0)
            sb.append(d);
         sb.append(tokens[i]);
      }
      return sb;
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #join(Object[], char, StringBuilder)} but escapes the delimiter character if found in the tokens.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @param sb The string builder to append the response to.
    * @return The same string builder passed in as <code>sb</code>.
    */
   public static StringBuilder joine(Object[] tokens, char d, StringBuilder sb) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return sb;
      AsciiSet as = getEscapeSet(d);
      for (int i = 0; i < tokens.length; i++) {
         if (i > 0)
            sb.append(d);
         sb.append(escapeChars(asString(tokens[i]), as));
      }
      return sb;
   }

   /**
    * Join the specified tokens into a delimited string.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String join(int[] tokens, char d) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      for (int i = 0; i < tokens.length; i++) {
         if (i > 0)
            sb.append(d);
         sb.append(tokens[i]);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Join the specified tokens into a delimited string.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String join(Collection<?> tokens, char d) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      for (Iterator<?> iter = tokens.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
         sb.append(iter.next());
         if (iter.hasNext())
            sb.append(d);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #join(Collection, char)} but escapes the delimiter if found in the tokens.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to join.
    * @param d The delimiter.
    * @return The delimited string.  If <code>tokens</code> is <jk>null</jk>, returns <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String joine(Collection<?> tokens, char d) {
      if (tokens == null)
         return null;
      AsciiSet as = getEscapeSet(d);
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      for (Iterator<?> iter = tokens.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
         sb.append(escapeChars(asString(iter.next()), as));
         if (iter.hasNext())
            sb.append(d);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Joins tokens with newlines.
    *
    * @param tokens The tokens to concatenate.
    * @return A string with the specified tokens contatenated with newlines.
    */
   public static String joinnl(Object[] tokens) {
      return join(tokens, '\n');
   }

   /**
    * Shortcut for calling <code>split(s, <js>','</js>)</code>
    *
    * @param s The string to split.  Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @return The tokens, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was null.
    */
   public static String[] split(String s) {
      return split(s, ',');
   }

   /**
    * Splits a character-delimited string into a string array.
    *
    * <p>
    * Does not split on escaped-delimiters (e.g. "\,");
    * Resulting tokens are trimmed of whitespace.
    *
    * <p>
    * <b>NOTE:</b>  This behavior is different than the Jakarta equivalent.
    * split("a,b,c",',') -> {"a","b","c"}
    * split("a, b ,c ",',') -> {"a","b","c"}
    * split("a,,c",',') -> {"a","","c"}
    * split(",,",',') -> {"","",""}
    * split("",',') -> {}
    * split(null,',') -> null
    * split("a,b\,c,d", ',', false) -> {"a","b\,c","d"}
    * split("a,b\\,c,d", ',', false) -> {"a","b\","c","d"}
    * split("a,b\,c,d", ',', true) -> {"a","b,c","d"}
    *
    * @param s The string to split.  Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @param c The character to split on.
    * @return The tokens, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was null.
    */
   public static String[] split(String s, char c) {
      return split(s, c, Integer.MAX_VALUE);
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #split(String, char)} but limits the number of tokens returned.
    *
    * @param s The string to split.  Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @param c The character to split on.
    * @param limit The maximum number of tokens to return.
    * @return The tokens, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was null.
    */
   public static String[] split(String s, char c, int limit) {

      AsciiSet escapeChars = getEscapeSet(c);

      if (s == null)
         return null;
      if (isEmpty(s))
         return new String[0];
      if (s.indexOf(c) == -1)
         return new String[]{s};

      List<String> l = new LinkedList<>();
      char[] sArray = s.toCharArray();
      int x1 = 0, escapeCount = 0;
      limit--;
      for (int i = 0; i < sArray.length && limit > 0; i++) {
         if (sArray[i] == '\\') escapeCount++;
         else if (sArray[i]==c && escapeCount % 2 == 0) {
            String s2 = new String(sArray, x1, i-x1);
            String s3 = unEscapeChars(s2, escapeChars);
            l.add(s3.trim());
            limit--;
            x1 = i+1;
         }
         if (sArray[i] != '\\') escapeCount = 0;
      }
      String s2 = new String(sArray, x1, sArray.length-x1);
      String s3 = unEscapeChars(s2, escapeChars);
      l.add(s3.trim());

      return l.toArray(new String[l.size()]);
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #split(String, char)} except splits all strings in the input and returns a single result.
    *
    * @param s The string to split.  Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @param c The character to split on.
    * @return The tokens.
    */
   public static String[] split(String[] s, char c) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      List<String> l = new LinkedList<>();
      for (String ss : s) {
         if (ss == null || ss.indexOf(c) == -1)
            l.add(ss);
         else
            l.addAll(Arrays.asList(split(ss, c)));
      }
      return l.toArray(new String[l.size()]);
   }

   /**
    * Splits a list of key-value pairs into an ordered map.
    *
    * <p>
    * Example:
    * <p class='bcode w800'>
    *    String in = <js>"foo=1;bar=2"</js>;
    *    Map m = StringUtils.<jsm>splitMap</jsm>(in, <js>';'</js>, <js>'='</js>, <jk>true</jk>);
    * </p>
    *
    * @param s The string to split.
    * @param trim Trim strings after parsing.
    * @return The parsed map.  Never <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static Map<String,String> splitMap(String s, boolean trim) {

      if (s == null)
         return null;
      if (isEmpty(s))
         return Collections.EMPTY_MAP;

      Map<String,String> m = new LinkedHashMap<>();

      int
         S1 = 1,  // Found start of key, looking for equals.
         S2 = 2;  // Found equals, looking for delimiter (or end).

      int state = S1;

      char[] sArray = s.toCharArray();
      int x1 = 0, escapeCount = 0;
      String key = null;
      for (int i = 0; i < sArray.length + 1; i++) {
         char c = i == sArray.length ? ',' : sArray[i];
         if (c == '\\')
            escapeCount++;
         if (escapeCount % 2 == 0) {
            if (state == S1) {
               if (c == '=') {
                  key = s.substring(x1, i);
                  if (trim)
                     key = trim(key);
                  key = unEscapeChars(key, MAP_ESCAPE_SET);
                  state = S2;
                  x1 = i+1;
               } else if (c == ',') {
                  key = s.substring(x1, i);
                  if (trim)
                     key = trim(key);
                  key = unEscapeChars(key, MAP_ESCAPE_SET);
                  m.put(key, "");
                  state = S1;
                  x1 = i+1;
               }
            } else if (state == S2) {
               if (c == ',') {
                  String val = s.substring(x1, i);
                  if (trim)
                     val = trim(val);
                  val = unEscapeChars(val, MAP_ESCAPE_SET);
                  m.put(key, val);
                  key = null;
                  x1 = i+1;
                  state = S1;
               }
            }
         }
         if (c != '\\') escapeCount = 0;
      }

      return m;
   }

   private static final AsciiSet MAP_ESCAPE_SET = AsciiSet.create(",=\\");

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified string contains any of the specified characters.
    *
    * @param s The string to test.
    * @param chars The characters to look for.
    * @return
    *    <jk>true</jk> if the specified string contains any of the specified characters.
    *    <br><jk>false</jk> if the string is <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static boolean containsAny(String s, char...chars) {
      if (s == null)
         return false;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         for (char c2 : chars)
            if (c == c2)
               return true;
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Splits a space-delimited string with optionally quoted arguments.
    *
    * <p>
    * Examples:
    * <ul>
    *    <li><js>"foo"</js> =&gt; <code>["foo"]</code>
    *    <li><js>" foo "</js> =&gt; <code>["foo"]</code>
    *    <li><js>"foo bar baz"</js> =&gt; <code>["foo","bar","baz"]</code>
    *    <li><js>"foo 'bar baz'"</js> =&gt; <code>["foo","bar baz"]</code>
    *    <li><js>"foo \"bar baz\""</js> =&gt; <code>["foo","bar baz"]</code>
    *    <li><js>"foo 'bar\'baz'"</js> =&gt; <code>["foo","bar'baz"]</code>
    * </ul>
    *
    * @param s The input string.
    * @return
    *    The results, or <jk>null</jk> if the input was <jk>null</jk>.
    *    <br>An empty string results in an empty array.
    */
   public static String[] splitQuoted(String s) {

      if (s == null)
         return null;

      s = s.trim();

      if (isEmpty(s))
         return new String[0];

      if (! containsAny(s, ' ', '\t', '\'', '"'))
         return new String[]{s};

      int
         S1 = 1,  // Looking for start of token.
         S2 = 2,  // Found ', looking for end '
         S3 = 3,  // Found ", looking for end "
         S4 = 4;  // Found non-whitespace, looking for end whitespace.

      int state = S1;

      boolean isInEscape = false, needsUnescape = false;
      int mark = 0;

      List<String> l = new ArrayList<>();
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);

         if (state == S1) {
            if (c == '\'') {
               state = S2;
               mark = i+1;
            } else if (c == '"') {
               state = S3;
               mark = i+1;
            } else if (c != ' ' && c != '\t') {
               state = S4;
               mark = i;
            }
         } else if (state == S2 || state == S3) {
            if (c == '\\') {
               isInEscape = ! isInEscape;
               needsUnescape = true;
            } else if (! isInEscape) {
               if (c == (state == S2 ? '\'' : '"')) {
                  String s2 = s.substring(mark, i);
                  if (needsUnescape)
                     s2 = unEscapeChars(s2, QUOTE_ESCAPE_SET);
                  l.add(s2);
                  state = S1;
                  isInEscape = needsUnescape = false;
               }
            } else {
               isInEscape = false;
            }
         } else if (state == S4) {
            if (c == ' ' || c == '\t') {
               l.add(s.substring(mark, i));
               state = S1;
            }
         }
      }
      if (state == S4)
         l.add(s.substring(mark));
      else if (state == S2 || state == S3)
         throw new RuntimeException("Unmatched string quotes: " + s);
      return l.toArray(new String[l.size()]);
   }

   private static final AsciiSet QUOTE_ESCAPE_SET = AsciiSet.create("\"'\\");

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if specified string is <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if specified string is <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    */
   public static boolean isEmpty(String s) {
      return s == null || s.isEmpty();
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if specified string is <jk>null</jk> or it's {@link #toString()} method returns an empty
    * string.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return
    *    <jk>true</jk> if specified string is <jk>null</jk> or it's {@link #toString()} method returns an empty string.
    */
   public static boolean isEmpty(Object s) {
      return s == null || s.toString().isEmpty();
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if specified string is not <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if specified string is not <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    */
   public static boolean isNotEmpty(String s) {
      return ! isEmpty(s);
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if specified string is not <jk>null</jk> or it's {@link #toString()} method doesn't return an empty
    * string.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return
    *    <jk>true</jk> if specified string is not <jk>null</jk> or it's {@link #toString()} method doesn't return an empty string.
    */
   public static boolean isNotEmpty(Object s) {
      return ! isEmpty(s);
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>null</jk> if the specified string is <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return <jk>null</jk> if the specified string is <jk>null</jk> or empty, or the same string if not.
    */
   public static String nullIfEmpty(String s) {
      if (s == null || s.isEmpty())
         return null;
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Returns an empty string if the specified string is <jk>null</jk>.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return An empty string if the specified string is <jk>null</jk>, or the same string otherwise.
    */
   public static String emptyIfNull(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return "";
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Returns an empty string if the specified object is <jk>null</jk>.
    *
    * @param o The object to check.
    * @return An empty string if the specified object is <jk>null</jk>, or the object converted to a string using {@link String#toString()}.
    */
   public static String emptyIfNull(Object o) {
      if (o == null)
         return "";
      return o.toString();
   }


   /**
    * Removes escape characters from the specified characters.
    *
    * @param s The string to remove escape characters from.
    * @param escaped The characters escaped.
    * @return A new string if characters were removed, or the same string if not or if the input was <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String unEscapeChars(String s, AsciiSet escaped) {
      if (s == null || s.length() == 0)
         return s;
      int count = 0;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++)
         if (escaped.contains(s.charAt(i)))
            count++;
      if (count == 0)
         return s;
      StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer(s.length()-count);
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);

         if (c == '\\') {
            if (i+1 != s.length()) {
               char c2 = s.charAt(i+1);
               if (escaped.contains(c2)) {
                  i++;
               } else if (c2 == '\\') {
                  sb.append('\\');
                  i++;
               }
            }
         }
         sb.append(s.charAt(i));
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Escapes the specified characters in the string.
    *
    * @param s The string with characters to escape.
    * @param escaped The characters to escape.
    * @return The string with characters escaped, or the same string if no escapable characters were found.
    */
   public static String escapeChars(String s, AsciiSet escaped) {
      if (s == null || s.length() == 0)
         return s;

      int count = 0;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++)
         if (escaped.contains(s.charAt(i)))
            count++;
      if (count == 0)
         return s;

      StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer(s.length() + count);
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (escaped.contains(c))
            sb.append('\\');
         sb.append(c);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Debug method for rendering non-ASCII character sequences.
    *
    * @param s The string to decode.
    * @return A string with non-ASCII characters converted to <js>"[hex]"</js> sequences.
    */
   public static String decodeHex(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      for (char c : s.toCharArray()) {
         if (c < ' ' || c > '~')
            sb.append("["+Integer.toHexString(c)+"]");
         else
            sb.append(c);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * An efficient method for checking if a string starts with a character.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.  Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @param c The character to check for.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is not <jk>null</jk> and starts with the specified character.
    */
   public static boolean startsWith(String s, char c) {
      if (s != null) {
         int i = s.length();
         if (i > 0)
            return s.charAt(0) == c;
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * An efficient method for checking if a string ends with a character.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.  Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @param c The character to check for.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is not <jk>null</jk> and ends with the specified character.
    */
   public static boolean endsWith(String s, char c) {
      if (s != null) {
         int i = s.length();
         if (i > 0)
            return s.charAt(i-1) == c;
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #endsWith(String, char)} except check for multiple characters.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.  Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @param c The characters to check for.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is not <jk>null</jk> and ends with the specified character.
    */
   public static boolean endsWith(String s, char...c) {
      if (s != null) {
         int i = s.length();
         if (i > 0) {
            char c2 = s.charAt(i-1);
            for (char cc : c)
               if (c2 == cc)
                  return true;
         }
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Converts the specified number into a 2 hexadecimal characters.
    *
    * @param num The number to convert to hex.
    * @return A <code><jk>char</jk>[2]</code> containing the specified characters.
    */
   public static final char[] toHex2(int num) {
      if (num < 0 || num > 255)
         throw new NumberFormatException("toHex2 can only be used on numbers between 0 and 255");
      char[] n = new char[2];
      int a = num%16;
      n[1] = (char)(a > 9 ? 'A'+a-10 : '0'+a);
      a = (num/16)%16;
      n[0] = (char)(a > 9 ? 'A'+a-10 : '0'+a);
      return n;
   }

   /**
    * Converts the specified number into a 4 hexadecimal characters.
    *
    * @param num The number to convert to hex.
    * @return A <code><jk>char</jk>[4]</code> containing the specified characters.
    */
   public static final char[] toHex4(int num) {
      char[] n = new char[4];
      int a = num%16;
      n[3] = (char)(a > 9 ? 'A'+a-10 : '0'+a);
      int base = 16;
      for (int i = 1; i < 4; i++) {
         a = (num/base)%16;
         base <<= 4;
         n[3-i] = (char)(a > 9 ? 'A'+a-10 : '0'+a);
      }
      return n;
   }

   /**
    * Converts the specified number into a 8 hexadecimal characters.
    *
    * @param num The number to convert to hex.
    * @return A <code><jk>char</jk>[8]</code> containing the specified characters.
    */
   public static final char[] toHex8(long num) {
      char[] n = new char[8];
      long a = num%16;
      n[7] = (char)(a > 9 ? 'A'+a-10 : '0'+a);
      int base = 16;
      for (int i = 1; i < 8; i++) {
         a = (num/base)%16;
         base <<= 4;
         n[7-i] = (char)(a > 9 ? 'A'+a-10 : '0'+a);
      }
      return n;
   }

   /**
    * Tests two strings for equality, but gracefully handles nulls.
    *
    * @param s1 String 1.
    * @param s2 String 2.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the strings are equal.
    */
   public static boolean isEquals(String s1, String s2) {
      if (s1 == null)
         return s2 == null;
      if (s2 == null)
         return false;
      return s1.equals(s2);
   }

   /**
    * Shortcut for calling <code>base64Encode(in.getBytes(<js>"UTF-8"</js>))</code>
    *
    * @param in The input string to convert.
    * @return The string converted to BASE-64 encoding.
    */
   public static String base64EncodeToString(String in) {
      if (in == null)
         return null;
      return base64Encode(in.getBytes(IOUtils.UTF8));
   }

   /**
    * BASE64-encodes the specified byte array.
    *
    * @param in The input byte array to convert.
    * @return The byte array converted to a BASE-64 encoded string.
    */
   public static String base64Encode(byte[] in) {
      int outLength = (in.length * 4 + 2) / 3;   // Output length without padding
      char[] out = new char[((in.length + 2) / 3) * 4];  // Length includes padding.
      int iIn = 0;
      int iOut = 0;
      while (iIn < in.length) {
         int i0 = in[iIn++] & 0xff;
         int i1 = iIn < in.length ? in[iIn++] & 0xff : 0;
         int i2 = iIn < in.length ? in[iIn++] & 0xff : 0;
         int o0 = i0 >>> 2;
         int o1 = ((i0 & 3) << 4) | (i1 >>> 4);
         int o2 = ((i1 & 0xf) << 2) | (i2 >>> 6);
         int o3 = i2 & 0x3F;
         out[iOut++] = base64m1[o0];
         out[iOut++] = base64m1[o1];
         out[iOut] = iOut < outLength ? base64m1[o2] : '=';
         iOut++;
         out[iOut] = iOut < outLength ? base64m1[o3] : '=';
         iOut++;
      }
      return new String(out);
   }

   /**
    * Shortcut for calling <code>base64Decode(String)</code> and converting the result to a UTF-8 encoded string.
    *
    * @param in The BASE-64 encoded string to decode.
    * @return The decoded string.
    */
   public static String base64DecodeToString(String in) {
      byte[] b = base64Decode(in);
      if (b == null)
         return null;
      return new String(b, IOUtils.UTF8);
   }

   /**
    * BASE64-decodes the specified string.
    *
    * @param in The BASE-64 encoded string.
    * @return The decoded byte array.
    */
   public static byte[] base64Decode(String in) {
      if (in == null)
         return null;

      byte bIn[] = in.getBytes(IOUtils.UTF8);

      if (bIn.length % 4 != 0)
         illegalArg("Invalid BASE64 string length.  Must be multiple of 4.");

      // Strip out any trailing '=' filler characters.
      int inLength = bIn.length;
      while (inLength > 0 && bIn[inLength - 1] == '=')
         inLength--;

      int outLength = (inLength * 3) / 4;
      byte[] out = new byte[outLength];
      int iIn = 0;
      int iOut = 0;
      while (iIn < inLength) {
         int i0 = bIn[iIn++];
         int i1 = bIn[iIn++];
         int i2 = iIn < inLength ? bIn[iIn++] : 'A';
         int i3 = iIn < inLength ? bIn[iIn++] : 'A';
         int b0 = base64m2[i0];
         int b1 = base64m2[i1];
         int b2 = base64m2[i2];
         int b3 = base64m2[i3];
         int o0 = (b0 << 2) | (b1 >>> 4);
         int o1 = ((b1 & 0xf) << 4) | (b2 >>> 2);
         int o2 = ((b2 & 3) << 6) | b3;
         out[iOut++] = (byte)o0;
         if (iOut < outLength)
            out[iOut++] = (byte)o1;
         if (iOut < outLength)
            out[iOut++] = (byte)o2;
      }
      return out;
   }

   /**
    * Generated a random UUID with the specified number of characters.
    *
    * <p>
    * Characters are composed of lower-case ASCII letters and numbers only.
    *
    * <p>
    * This method conforms to the restrictions for hostnames as specified in {@doc https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc952 RFC 952}
    * Since each character has 36 possible values, the square approximation formula for the number of generated IDs
    * that would produce a 50% chance of collision is:
    * <code>sqrt(36^N)</code>.
    * Dividing this number by 10 gives you an approximation of the number of generated IDs needed to produce a
    * &lt;1% chance of collision.
    *
    * <p>
    * For example, given 5 characters, the number of generated IDs need to produce a &lt;1% chance of collision would
    * be:
    * <code>sqrt(36^5)/10=777</code>
    *
    * @param numchars The number of characters in the generated UUID.
    * @return A new random UUID.
    */
   public static String generateUUID(int numchars) {
      Random r = new Random();
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(numchars);
      for (int i = 0; i < numchars; i++) {
         int c = r.nextInt(36) + 97;
         if (c > 'z')
            c -= ('z'-'0'+1);
         sb.append((char)c);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link String#trim()} but prevents <code>NullPointerExceptions</code>.
    *
    * @param s The string to trim.
    * @return The trimmed string, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String trim(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      return s.trim();
   }

   /**
    * Parses an ISO8601 string into a date.
    *
    * <p>
    * Supports any of the following formats:
    * <br><code>yyyy, yyyy-MM, yyyy-MM-dd, yyyy-MM-ddThh, yyyy-MM-ddThh:mm, yyyy-MM-ddThh:mm:ss, yyyy-MM-ddThh:mm:ss.SSS</code>
    *
    * @param date The date string.
    * @return The parsed date.
    * @throws IllegalArgumentException
    */
   public static Date parseIsoDate(String date) throws IllegalArgumentException {
      if (isEmpty(date))
         return null;
      return parseIsoCalendar(date).getTime();
   }

   /**
    * Parses an ISO8601 string into a calendar.
    *
    * <p>
    * Supports any of the following formats:
    * <br><code>yyyy, yyyy-MM, yyyy-MM-dd, yyyy-MM-ddThh, yyyy-MM-ddThh:mm, yyyy-MM-ddThh:mm:ss, yyyy-MM-ddThh:mm:ss.SSS</code>
    *
    * @param date The date string.
    * @return The parsed calendar.
    * @throws IllegalArgumentException
    */
   public static Calendar parseIsoCalendar(String date) throws IllegalArgumentException {
      if (isEmpty(date))
         return null;
      date = date.trim().replace(' ', 'T');  // Convert to 'standard' ISO8601
      if (date.indexOf(',') != -1)  // Trim milliseconds
         date = date.substring(0, date.indexOf(','));
      if (date.matches("\\d{4}"))
         date += "-01-01T00:00:00";
      else if (date.matches("\\d{4}\\-\\d{2}"))
         date += "-01T00:00:00";
      else if (date.matches("\\d{4}\\-\\d{2}\\-\\d{2}"))
         date += "T00:00:00";
      else if (date.matches("\\d{4}\\-\\d{2}\\-\\d{2}T\\d{2}"))
         date += ":00:00";
      else if (date.matches("\\d{4}\\-\\d{2}\\-\\d{2}T\\d{2}\\:\\d{2}"))
         date += ":00";
      return DatatypeConverter.parseDateTime(date);
   }

   /**
    * Converts the specified object to an ISO8601 date string.
    *
    * @param c The object to convert.
    * @return The converted object.
    */
   public static String toIsoDate(Calendar c) {
      return DatatypeConverter.printDate(c);
   }

   /**
    * Converts the specified object to an ISO8601 date-time string.
    *
    * @param c The object to convert.
    * @return The converted object.
    */
   public static String toIsoDateTime(Calendar c) {
      return DatatypeConverter.printDateTime(c);
   }

   /**
    * Simple utility for replacing variables of the form <js>"{key}"</js> with values in the specified map.
    *
    * <p>
    * Nested variables are supported in both the input string and map values.
    *
    * <p>
    * If the map does not contain the specified value, the variable is not replaced.
    *
    * <p>
    * <jk>null</jk> values in the map are treated as blank strings.
    *
    * @param s The string containing variables to replace.
    * @param m The map containing the variable values.
    * @return The new string with variables replaced, or the original string if it didn't have variables in it.
    */
   public static String replaceVars(String s, Map<String,Object> m) {

      if (s == null)
         return null;

      if (s.indexOf('{') == -1)
         return s;

      int S1 = 1;    // Not in variable, looking for {
      int S2 = 2;    // Found {, Looking for }

      int state = S1;
      boolean hasInternalVar = false;
      int x = 0;
      int depth = 0;
      int length = s.length();
      StringBuilder out = new StringBuilder();
      for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (state == S1) {
            if (c == '{') {
               state = S2;
               x = i;
            } else {
               out.append(c);
            }
         } else /* state == S2 */ {
            if (c == '{') {
               depth++;
               hasInternalVar = true;
            } else if (c == '}') {
               if (depth > 0) {
                  depth--;
               } else {
                  String key = s.substring(x+1, i);
                  key = (hasInternalVar ? replaceVars(key, m) : key);
                  hasInternalVar = false;
                  if (! m.containsKey(key))
                     out.append('{').append(key).append('}');
                  else {
                     Object val = m.get(key);
                     if (val == null)
                        val = "";
                     String v = val.toString();
                     // If the replacement also contains variables, replace them now.
                     if (v.indexOf('{') != -1)
                        v = replaceVars(v, m);
                     out.append(v);
                  }
                  state = 1;
               }
            }
         }
      }
      return out.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified path string is prefixed with the specified prefix.
    *
    * <h5 class='section'>Example:</h5>
    * <p class='bcode w800'>
    *    pathStartsWith(<js>"foo"</js>, <js>"foo"</js>);  <jc>// true</jc>
    *    pathStartsWith(<js>"foo/bar"</js>, <js>"foo"</js>);  <jc>// true</jc>
    *    pathStartsWith(<js>"foo2"</js>, <js>"foo"</js>);  <jc>// false</jc>
    *    pathStartsWith(<js>"foo2"</js>, <js>""</js>);  <jc>// false</jc>
    * </p>
    *
    * @param path The path to check.
    * @param pathPrefix The prefix.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified path string is prefixed with the specified prefix.
    */
   public static boolean pathStartsWith(String path, String pathPrefix) {
      if (path == null || pathPrefix == null)
         return false;
      if (path.startsWith(pathPrefix))
         return path.length() == pathPrefix.length() || path.charAt(pathPrefix.length()) == '/';
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #pathStartsWith(String, String)} but returns <jk>true</jk> if at least one prefix matches.
    *
    * @param path The path to check.
    * @param pathPrefixes The prefixes.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified path string is prefixed with any of the specified prefixes.
    */
   public static boolean pathStartsWith(String path, String[] pathPrefixes) {
      for (String p : pathPrefixes)
         if (pathStartsWith(path, p))
            return true;
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Replaces <js>"\\uXXXX"</js> character sequences with their unicode characters.
    *
    * @param s The string to replace unicode sequences in.
    * @return A string with unicode sequences replaced.
    */
   public static String replaceUnicodeSequences(String s) {
      if (s.indexOf('\\') == -1)
         return s;
      Pattern p = Pattern.compile("\\\\u(\\p{XDigit}{4})");
      Matcher m = p.matcher(s);
      StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer(s.length());
      while (m.find()) {
         String ch = String.valueOf((char) Integer.parseInt(m.group(1), 16));
         m.appendReplacement(sb, Matcher.quoteReplacement(ch));
      }
      m.appendTail(sb);
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Creates an escaped-unicode sequence (e.g. <js>"\\u1234"</js>) for the specified character.
    *
    * @param c The character to create a sequence for.
    * @return An escaped-unicode sequence.
    */
   public static String unicodeSequence(char c) {
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(6);
      sb.append('\\').append('u');
      for (char cc : toHex4(c))
         sb.append(cc);
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Returns the specified field in a delimited string without splitting the string.
    *
    * <p>
    * Equivalent to the following:
    * <p class='bcode w800'>
    *    String in = <js>"0,1,2"</js>;
    *    String[] parts = in.split(<js>","</js>);
    *    String p1 = (parts.<jk>length</jk> > 1 ? parts[1] : <js>""</js>);
    * </p>
    *
    * @param fieldNum The field number.  Zero-indexed.
    * @param s The input string.
    * @param delim The delimiter character.
    * @return The field entry in the string, or a blank string if it doesn't exist or the string is null.
    */
   public static String getField(int fieldNum, String s, char delim) {
      return getField(fieldNum, s, delim, "");
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #getField(int, String, char)} except allows you to specify the default value.
    *
    * @param fieldNum The field number.  Zero-indexed.
    * @param s The input string.
    * @param delim The delimiter character.
    * @param def The default value if the field does not exist.
    * @return The field entry in the string, or the default value if it doesn't exist or the string is null.
    */
   public static String getField(int fieldNum, String s, char delim, String def) {
      if (s == null || fieldNum < 0)
         return def;
      int start = 0;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (c == delim) {
            fieldNum--;
            if (fieldNum == 0)
               start = i+1;
         }
         if (fieldNum < 0)
            return s.substring(start, i);
      }
      if (start == 0)
         return def;
      return s.substring(start);
   }

   /**
    * Calls {@link #toString()} on the specified object if it's not null.
    *
    * @param o The object to convert to a string.
    * @return The object converted to a string, or <jk>null</jk> if the object was null.
    */
   public static String asString(Object o) {
      return (o == null ? null : o.toString());
   }

   /**
    * Converts an array of objects to an array of strings.
    *
    * @param o The array of objects to convert to strings.
    * @return A new array of objects converted to strings.
    */
   public static String[] asStrings(Object...o) {
      if (o == null)
         return null;
      if (o instanceof String[])
         return (String[])o;
      String[] s = new String[o.length];
      for (int i = 0; i < o.length; i++)
         s[i] = asString(o[i]);
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Converts a hexadecimal byte stream (e.g. "34A5BC") into a UTF-8 encoded string.
    *
    * @param hex The hexadecimal string.
    * @return The UTF-8 string.
    */
   public static String fromHexToUTF8(String hex) {
      ByteBuffer buff = ByteBuffer.allocate(hex.length()/2);
      for (int i = 0; i < hex.length(); i+=2)
         buff.put((byte)Integer.parseInt(hex.substring(i, i+2), 16));
      buff.rewind();
      Charset cs = Charset.forName("UTF-8");
      return cs.decode(buff).toString();
   }

   /**
    * Converts a space-deliminted hexadecimal byte stream (e.g. "34 A5 BC") into a UTF-8 encoded string.
    *
    * @param hex The hexadecimal string.
    * @return The UTF-8 string.
    */
   public static String fromSpacedHexToUTF8(String hex) {
      ByteBuffer buff = ByteBuffer.allocate((hex.length()+1)/3);
      for (int i = 0; i < hex.length(); i+=3)
         buff.put((byte)Integer.parseInt(hex.substring(i, i+2), 16));
      buff.rewind();
      Charset cs = Charset.forName("UTF-8");
      return cs.decode(buff).toString();
   }

   private static final char[] HEX = "0123456789ABCDEF".toCharArray();

   /**
    * Converts a byte array into a simple hexadecimal character string.
    *
    * @param bytes The bytes to convert to hexadecimal.
    * @return A new string consisting of hexadecimal characters.
    */
   public static String toHex(byte[] bytes) {
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(bytes.length * 2);
      for (int j = 0; j < bytes.length; j++) {
         int v = bytes[j] & 0xFF;
         sb.append(HEX[v >>> 4]).append(HEX[v & 0x0F]);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #toHex(byte[])} but puts spaces between the byte strings.
    *
    * @param bytes The bytes to convert to hexadecimal.
    * @return A new string consisting of hexadecimal characters.
    */
   public static String toSpacedHex(byte[] bytes) {
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(bytes.length * 3);
      for (int j = 0; j < bytes.length; j++) {
         if (j > 0)
            sb.append(' ');
         int v = bytes[j] & 0xFF;
         sb.append(HEX[v >>> 4]).append(HEX[v & 0x0F]);
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Converts a hexadecimal character string to a byte array.
    *
    * @param hex The string to convert to a byte array.
    * @return A new byte array.
    */
   public static byte[] fromHex(String hex) {
      ByteBuffer buff = ByteBuffer.allocate(hex.length()/2);
      for (int i = 0; i < hex.length(); i+=2)
         buff.put((byte)Integer.parseInt(hex.substring(i, i+2), 16));
      buff.rewind();
      return buff.array();
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #fromHex(String)} except expects spaces between the byte strings.
    *
    * @param hex The string to convert to a byte array.
    * @return A new byte array.
    */
   public static byte[] fromSpacedHex(String hex) {
      ByteBuffer buff = ByteBuffer.allocate((hex.length()+1)/3);
      for (int i = 0; i < hex.length(); i+=3)
         buff.put((byte)Integer.parseInt(hex.substring(i, i+2), 16));
      buff.rewind();
      return buff.array();
   }

   /**
    * Creates a repeated pattern.
    *
    * @param count The number of times to repeat the pattern.
    * @param pattern The pattern to repeat.
    * @return A new string consisting of the repeated pattern.
    */
   public static String repeat(int count, String pattern) {
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(pattern.length() * count);
      for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
         sb.append(pattern);
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Trims whitespace characters from the beginning of the specified string.
    *
    * @param s The string to trim.
    * @return The trimmed string, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String trimStart(String s) {
      if (s != null)
         while (s.length() > 0 && Character.isWhitespace(s.charAt(0)))
            s = s.substring(1);
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Trims whitespace characters from the end of the specified string.
    *
    * @param s The string to trim.
    * @return The trimmed string, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String trimEnd(String s) {
      if (s != null)
         while (s.length() > 0 && Character.isWhitespace(s.charAt(s.length()-1)))
            s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1);
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is one of the specified values.
    *
    * @param s
    *    The string to test.
    *    Can be <jk>null</jk>.
    * @param values
    *    The values to test.
    *    Can contain <jk>null</jk>.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is one of the specified values.
    */
   public static boolean isOneOf(String s, String...values) {
      for (int i = 0; i < values.length; i++)
         if (StringUtils.isEquals(s, values[i]))
            return true;
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Trims <js>'/'</js> characters from both the start and end of the specified string.
    *
    * @param s The string to trim.
    * @return A new trimmed string, or the same string if no trimming was necessary.
    */
   public static String trimSlashes(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      while (endsWith(s, '/'))
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1);
      while (s.length() > 0 && s.charAt(0) == '/')
         s = s.substring(1);
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Trims <js>'/'</js> characters from the end of the specified string.
    *
    * @param s The string to trim.
    * @return A new trimmed string, or the same string if no trimming was necessary.
    */
   public static String trimTrailingSlashes(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      while (endsWith(s, '/'))
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1);
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Trims <js>'/'</js> characters from the end of the specified string.
    *
    * @param s The string to trim.
    * @return The same string buffer.
    */
   public static StringBuffer trimTrailingSlashes(StringBuffer s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      while (s.length() > 0 && s.charAt(s.length()-1) == '/')
         s.setLength(s.length()-1);
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Shortcut for calling <code>URLEncoder.<jsm>encode</jsm>(o.toString(), <js>"UTF-8"</js>)</code>.
    *
    * @param o The object to encode.
    * @return The URL encoded string, or <jk>null</jk> if the object was null.
    */
   public static String urlEncode(Object o) {
      try {
         if (o != null)
            return URLEncoder.encode(o.toString(), "UTF-8");
      } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {}
      return null;
   }

   private static final AsciiSet URL_ENCODE_PATHINFO_VALIDCHARS =
      AsciiSet.create().ranges("a-z","A-Z","0-9").chars("-_.*/()").build();

   /**
    * Similar to {@link #urlEncode(Object)} but doesn't encode <js>"/"</js> characters.
    *
    * @param o The object to encode.
    * @return The URL encoded string, or <jk>null</jk> if the object was null.
    */
   public static String urlEncodePath(Object o) {
      if (o == null)
         return null;
      String s = asString(o);

      boolean needsEncode = false;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length() && ! needsEncode; i++)
         needsEncode = URL_ENCODE_PATHINFO_VALIDCHARS.contains(s.charAt(i));
      if (! needsEncode)
         return s;

      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      CharArrayWriter caw = new CharArrayWriter();
      int caseDiff = ('a' - 'A');

      for (int i = 0; i < s.length();) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (URL_ENCODE_PATHINFO_VALIDCHARS.contains(c)) {
            sb.append(c);
            i++;
         } else {
            if (c == ' ') {
               sb.append('+');
               i++;
            } else {
               do {
                  caw.write(c);
                  if (c >= 0xD800 && c <= 0xDBFF) {
                     if ( (i+1) < s.length()) {
                        int d = s.charAt(i+1);
                        if (d >= 0xDC00 && d <= 0xDFFF) {
                           caw.write(d);
                           i++;
                        }
                     }
                  }
                  i++;
               } while (i < s.length() && !URL_ENCODE_PATHINFO_VALIDCHARS.contains((c = s.charAt(i))));

               caw.flush();
               String s2 = new String(caw.toCharArray());
               byte[] ba = s2.getBytes(IOUtils.UTF8);
               for (int j = 0; j < ba.length; j++) {
                  sb.append('%');
                  char ch = Character.forDigit((ba[j] >> 4) & 0xF, 16);
                  if (Character.isLetter(ch)) {
                     ch -= caseDiff;
                  }
                  sb.append(ch);
                  ch = Character.forDigit(ba[j] & 0xF, 16);
                  if (Character.isLetter(ch)) {
                     ch -= caseDiff;
                  }
                  sb.append(ch);
               }
               caw.reset();
            }
         }
      }
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Decodes a <code>application/x-www-form-urlencoded</code> string using <code>UTF-8</code> encoding scheme.
    *
    * @param s The string to decode.
    * @return The decoded string, or <jk>null</jk> if input is <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String urlDecode(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return s;
      boolean needsDecode = false;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length() && ! needsDecode; i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (c == '+' || c == '%')
            needsDecode = true;
      }
      if (needsDecode) {
         try {
            return URLDecoder.decode(s, "UTF-8");
         } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {/* Won't happen */}
      }
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Encodes a <code>application/x-www-form-urlencoded</code> string using <code>UTF-8</code> encoding scheme.
    *
    * @param s The string to encode.
    * @return The encoded string, or <jk>null</jk> if input is <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String urlEncode(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      boolean needsEncode = false;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length() && ! needsEncode; i++)
         needsEncode |= (! unencodedChars.contains(s.charAt(i)));
      if (needsEncode) {
         try {
            return URLEncoder.encode(s, "UTF-8");
         } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {/* Won't happen */}
      }
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #urlEncode(String)} except only excapes characters that absolutely need to be escaped.
    *
    * @param s The string to escape.
    * @return The encoded string, or <jk>null</jk> if input is <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static String urlEncodeLax(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      boolean needsEncode = false;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length() && ! needsEncode; i++)
         needsEncode |= (! unencodedCharsLax.contains(s.charAt(i)));
      if (needsEncode) {
         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(s.length()*2);
         for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
            char c = s.charAt(i);
            if (unencodedCharsLax.contains(c))
               sb.append(c);
            else if (c == ' ')
               sb.append("+");
            else if (c <= 127)
               sb.append('%').append(toHex2(c));
            else
               try {
                  sb.append(URLEncoder.encode(""+c, "UTF-8"));  // Yuck.
               } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
                  // Not possible.
               }
         }
         s = sb.toString();
      }
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Splits a string into equally-sized parts.
    *
    * @param s The string to split.
    * @param size The token sizes.
    * @return The tokens, or <jk>null</jk> if the input was <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static List<String> splitEqually(String s, int size) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      if (size <= 0)
         return Collections.singletonList(s);

      List<String> l = new ArrayList<>((s.length() + size - 1) / size);

      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i += size)
         l.add(s.substring(i, Math.min(s.length(), i + size)));

      return l;
   }

   /**
    * Returns the first non-whitespace character in the string.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return
    *    The first non-whitespace character, or <code>0</code> if the string is <jk>null</jk>, empty, or composed
    *    of only whitespace.
    */
   public static char firstNonWhitespaceChar(String s) {
      if (s != null)
         for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++)
            if (! Character.isWhitespace(s.charAt(i)))
               return s.charAt(i);
      return 0;
   }

   /**
    * Returns the last non-whitespace character in the string.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return
    *    The last non-whitespace character, or <code>0</code> if the string is <jk>null</jk>, empty, or composed
    *    of only whitespace.
    */
   public static char lastNonWhitespaceChar(String s) {
      if (s != null)
         for (int i = s.length()-1; i >= 0; i--)
            if (! Character.isWhitespace(s.charAt(i)))
               return s.charAt(i);
      return 0;
   }

   /**
    * Returns the character at the specified index in the string without throwing exceptions.
    *
    * @param s The string.
    * @param i The index position.
    * @return
    *    The character at the specified index, or <code>0</code> if the index is out-of-range or the string
    *    is <jk>null</jk>.
    */
   public static char charAt(String s, int i) {
      if (s == null)
         return 0;
      if (i < 0 || i >= s.length())
         return 0;
      return s.charAt(i);
   }

   /**
    * Efficiently determines whether a URL is of the pattern "xxx://xxx"
    *
    * @param s The string to test.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if it's an absolute path.
    */
   public static boolean isAbsoluteUri(String s) {

      if (isEmpty(s))
         return false;

      // Use a state machine for maximum performance.

      int S1 = 1;  // Looking for http
      int S2 = 2;  // Found http, looking for :
      int S3 = 3;  // Found :, looking for /
      int S4 = 4;  // Found /, looking for /
      int S5 = 5;  // Found /, looking for x

      int state = S1;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (state == S1) {
            if (c >= 'a' && c <= 'z')
               state = S2;
            else
               return false;
         } else if (state == S2) {
            if (c == ':')
               state = S3;
            else if (c < 'a' || c > 'z')
               return false;
         } else if (state == S3) {
            if (c == '/')
               state = S4;
            else
               return false;
         } else if (state == S4) {
            if (c == '/')
               state = S5;
            else
               return false;
         } else if (state == S5) {
            return true;
         }
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Efficiently determines whether a URL is of the pattern "xxx:/xxx".
    *
    * <p>
    * The pattern matched is: <code>[a-z]{2,}\:\/.*</code>
    *
    * <p>
    * Note that this excludes filesystem paths such as <js>"C:/temp"</js>.
    *
    * @param s The string to test.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if it's an absolute path.
    */
   public static boolean isUri(String s) {

      if (isEmpty(s))
         return false;

      // Use a state machine for maximum performance.

      int S1 = 1;  // Looking for protocol char 1
      int S2 = 2;  // Found protocol char 1, looking for protocol char 2
      int S3 = 3;  // Found protocol char 2, looking for :
      int S4 = 4;  // Found :, looking for /


      int state = S1;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (state == S1) {
            if (c >= 'a' && c <= 'z')
               state = S2;
            else
               return false;
         } else if (state == S2) {
            if (c >= 'a' && c <= 'z')
               state = S3;
            else
               return false;
         } else if (state == S3) {
            if (c == ':')
               state = S4;
            else if (c < 'a' || c > 'z')
               return false;
         } else if (state == S4) {
            if (c == '/')
               return true;
            return false;
         }
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Given an absolute URI, returns just the authority portion (e.g. <js>"http://hostname:port"</js>)
    *
    * @param s The URI string.
    * @return Just the authority portion of the URI.
    */
   public static String getAuthorityUri(String s) {

      // Use a state machine for maximum performance.

      int S1 = 1;  // Looking for http
      int S2 = 2;  // Found http, looking for :
      int S3 = 3;  // Found :, looking for /
      int S4 = 4;  // Found /, looking for /
      int S5 = 5;  // Found /, looking for x
      int S6 = 6;  // Found x, looking for /

      int state = S1;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (state == S1) {
            if (c >= 'a' && c <= 'z')
               state = S2;
            else
               return s;
         } else if (state == S2) {
            if (c == ':')
               state = S3;
            else if (c < 'a' || c > 'z')
               return s;
         } else if (state == S3) {
            if (c == '/')
               state = S4;
            else
               return s;
         } else if (state == S4) {
            if (c == '/')
               state = S5;
            else
               return s;
         } else if (state == S5) {
            if (c != '/')
               state = S6;
            else
               return s;
         } else if (state == S6) {
            if (c == '/')
               return s.substring(0, i);
         }
      }
      return s;
   }

   /**
    * Converts the specified object to a URI.
    *
    * @param o The object to convert to a URI.
    * @return A new URI, or the same object if the object was already a URI, or
    */
   public static URI toURI(Object o) {
      if (o == null || o instanceof URI)
         return (URI)o;
      try {
         return new URI(o.toString());
      } catch (URISyntaxException e) {
         throw new RuntimeException(e);
      }
   }

   /**
    * Returns the first non-null, non-empty string in the list.
    *
    * @param s The strings to test.
    * @return The first non-empty string in the list, or <jk>null</jk> if they were all <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    */
   public static String firstNonEmpty(String...s) {
      for (String ss : s)
         if (isNotEmpty(ss))
            return ss;
      return null;
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link String#indexOf(int)} except allows you to check for multiple characters.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @param c The characters to check for.
    * @return The index into the string that is one of the specified characters.
    */
   public static int indexOf(String s, char...c) {
      if (s == null)
         return -1;
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c2 = s.charAt(i);
         for (char cc : c)
            if (c2 == cc)
               return i;
      }
      return -1;
   }

   /**
    * Similar to {@link MessageFormat#format(String, Object...)} except allows you to specify POJO arguments.
    *
    * @param pattern The string pattern.
    * @param args The arguments.
    * @return The formatted string.
    */
   public static String format(String pattern, Object...args) {
      if (args == null || args.length == 0)
         return pattern;
      for (int i = 0; i < args.length; i++)
         args[i] = convertToReadable(args[i]);
      return MessageFormat.format(pattern, args);
   }

   private static Object convertToReadable(Object o) {
      if (o == null)
         return null;
      if (o instanceof ClassMeta)
         return ((ClassMeta<?>)o).getReadableName();
      if (BeanContext.DEFAULT == null)
         return o.toString();
      ClassMeta<?> cm = BeanContext.DEFAULT.getClassMetaForObject(o);
      if (cm.isMapOrBean() || cm.isCollectionOrArray())
         return SimpleJsonSerializer.DEFAULT.toString(o);
      if (cm.isClass())
         return ((Class<?>)o).getName();
      if (cm.isMethod())
         return ClassUtils.toString((Method)o);
      return o.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Converts a string containing a possible multiplier suffix to an integer.
    *
    * <p>
    * The string can contain any of the following multiplier suffixes:
    * <ul>
    *    <li><js>"K"</js> - x 1024
    *    <li><js>"M"</js> - x 1024*1024
    *    <li><js>"G"</js> - x 1024*1024*1024
    * </ul>
    *
    * @param s The string to parse.
    * @return The parsed value.
    */
   public static int parseIntWithSuffix(String s) {
      assertFieldNotNull(s, "s");
      int m = 1;
      if (s.endsWith("G")) {
         m = 1024*1024*1024;
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1).trim();
      } else if (s.endsWith("M")) {
         m = 1024*1024;
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1).trim();
      } else if (s.endsWith("K")) {
         m = 1024;
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1).trim();
      }
      return Integer.decode(s) * m;
   }

   /**
    * Converts a string containing a possible multiplier suffix to a long.
    *
    * <p>
    * The string can contain any of the following multiplier suffixes:
    * <ul>
    *    <li><js>"K"</js> - x 1024
    *    <li><js>"M"</js> - x 1024*1024
    *    <li><js>"G"</js> - x 1024*1024*1024
    * </ul>
    *
    * @param s The string to parse.
    * @return The parsed value.
    */
   public static long parseLongWithSuffix(String s) {
      assertFieldNotNull(s, "s");
      int m = 1;
      if (s.endsWith("G")) {
         m = 1024*1024*1024;
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1).trim();
      } else if (s.endsWith("M")) {
         m = 1024*1024;
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1).trim();
      } else if (s.endsWith("K")) {
         m = 1024;
         s = s.substring(0, s.length()-1).trim();
      }
      return Long.decode(s) * m;
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link String#contains(CharSequence)} except returns <jk>null</jk> if the value is null.
    *
    * @param value The string to check.
    * @param substring The value to check for.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the value contains the specified substring.
    */
   public static boolean contains(String value, CharSequence substring) {
      return value == null ? false : value.contains(substring);
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified string appears to be an JSON array.
    *
    * @param o The object to test.
    * @param ignoreWhitespaceAndComments If <jk>true</jk>, leading and trailing whitespace and comments will be ignored.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string appears to be a JSON array.
    */
   public static boolean isObjectList(Object o, boolean ignoreWhitespaceAndComments) {
      if (o instanceof CharSequence) {
         String s = o.toString();
         if (! ignoreWhitespaceAndComments)
            return (s.startsWith("[") && s.endsWith("]"));
         if (firstRealCharacter(s) != '[')
            return false;
         int i = s.lastIndexOf(']');
         if (i == -1)
            return false;
         s = s.substring(i+1);
         if (firstRealCharacter(s) != -1)
            return false;
         return true;
      }
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Parses a string that can consist of either a JSON array or comma-delimited list.
    *
    * <p>
    * The type of string is auto-detected.
    *
    * @param s The string to parse.
    * @return The parsed string.
    * @throws ParseException
    */
   public static ObjectList parseListOrCdl(String s) throws ParseException {
      if (isEmpty(s))
         return null;
      if (! isObjectList(s, true))
         return new ObjectList(Arrays.asList(StringUtils.split(s.trim(), ',')));
      return new ObjectList(s);
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is valid JSON.
    *
    * <p>
    * Leading and trailing spaces are ignored.
    * <br>Leading and trailing comments are not allowed.
    *
    * @param s The string to test.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string is valid JSON.
    */
   public static boolean isJson(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return false;
      char c1 = StringUtils.firstNonWhitespaceChar(s), c2 = StringUtils.lastNonWhitespaceChar(s);
      if (c1 == '{' && c2 == '}' || c1 == '[' && c2 == ']' || c1 == '\'' && c2 == '\'')
         return true;
      if (StringUtils.isOneOf(s, "true","false","null"))
         return true;
      if (StringUtils.isNumeric(s))
         return true;
      return false;
   }

   /**
    * Returns <jk>true</jk> if the specified string appears to be a JSON object.
    *
    * @param o The object to test.
    * @param ignoreWhitespaceAndComments If <jk>true</jk>, leading and trailing whitespace and comments will be ignored.
    * @return <jk>true</jk> if the specified string appears to be a JSON object.
    */
   public static boolean isObjectMap(Object o, boolean ignoreWhitespaceAndComments) {
      if (o instanceof CharSequence) {
         String s = o.toString();
         if (! ignoreWhitespaceAndComments)
            return (s.startsWith("{") && s.endsWith("}"));
         if (firstRealCharacter(s) != '{')
            return false;
         int i = s.lastIndexOf('}');
         if (i == -1)
            return false;
         s = s.substring(i+1);
         if (firstRealCharacter(s) != -1)
            return false;
         return true;
      }
      return false;
   }

   private static int firstRealCharacter(String s) {
      try (StringReader r = new StringReader(s)) {
         int c = 0;
         while ((c = r.read()) != -1) {
            if (! Character.isWhitespace(c)) {
               if (c == '/') {
                  skipComments(r);
               } else {
                  return c;
               }
            }
         }
         return -1;
      } catch (Exception e) {
         throw new RuntimeException(e);
      }
   }
   private static void skipComments(StringReader r) throws IOException {
      int c = r.read();
      //  "/* */" style comments
      if (c == '*') {
         while (c != -1)
            if ((c = r.read()) == '*')
               if ((c = r.read()) == '/')
                  return;
      //  "//" style comments
      } else if (c == '/') {
         while (c != -1) {
            c = r.read();
            if (c == -1 || c == '\n')
               return;
         }
      }
   }

   /**
    * Takes in a string, splits it by lines, and then prepends each line with line numbers.
    *
    * @param s The string.
    * @return The string with line numbers added.
    */
   public static String getNumberedLines(String s) {
      return getNumberedLines(s, 1, Integer.MAX_VALUE);
   }

   /**
    * Same as {@link #getNumberedLines(String)} except only returns the specified lines.
    *
    * <p>
    * Out-of-bounds values are allowed and fixed.
    *
    * @param s The string.
    * @param start The starting line (1-indexed).
    * @param end The ending line (1-indexed).
    * @return The string with line numbers added.
    */
   public static String getNumberedLines(String s, int start, int end) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      String[] lines = s.split("[\r\n]+");
      final int digits = String.valueOf(lines.length).length();
      if (start < 1)
         start = 1;
      if (end > lines.length)
         end = lines.length;
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      for (String l :  Arrays.asList(lines).subList(start-1, end))
         sb.append(String.format("%0"+digits+"d", start++)).append(": ").append(l).append("\n");
      return sb.toString();
   }

   /**
    * Compares two strings, but gracefully handles <jk>nulls</jk>.
    *
    * @param s1 The first string.
    * @param s2 The second string.
    * @return The same as {@link String#compareTo(String)}.
    */
   public static int compare(String s1, String s2) {
      if (s1 == null && s2 == null)
         return 0;
      if (s1 == null)
         return Integer.MIN_VALUE;
      if (s2 == null)
         return Integer.MAX_VALUE;
      return s1.compareTo(s2);
   }

   /**
    * Returns the first character in the specified string.
    *
    * @param s The string to check.
    * @return The first character in the string, or <code>0</code> if the string is <jk>null</jk> or empty.
    */
   public static char firstChar(String s) {
      if (s == null || s.length() == 0)
         return 0;
      return s.charAt(0);
   }

   /**
    * Converts a string containing <js>"*"</js> meta characters with a regular expression pattern.
    *
    * @param s The string to create a pattern from.
    * @return A regular expression pattern.
    */
   public static Pattern getMatchPattern(String s) {
      if (s == null)
         return null;
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      sb.append("\\Q");
      for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
         char c = s.charAt(i);
         if (c == '*')
            sb.append("\\E").append(".*").append("\\Q");
         else
            sb.append(c);
      }
      sb.append("\\E");
      return Pattern.compile(sb.toString());
   }

   /**
    * Null-safe {@link String#toLowerCase()}.
    *
    * @param s The string to convert to lower case.
    * @return The string converted to lower case, or <jk>null</jk> if the string was null.
    */
   public static String toLowerCase(String s) {
      return s == null ? null : s.toLowerCase();
   }
}