Hey there! Let's break down the StringConcatFactory strategies, starting with the default BC_SB—since you already grasp invokedynamic, this should click once we walk through it step by step.

First, a quick recap: the Strategy enum in StringConcatFactory defines different optimization approaches for string concatenation triggered by invokedynamic. Each strategy maps to a way of generating bytecode or using dynamic calls to handle拼接 efficiently. Let's dive into BC_SB, the "bytecode generator using StringBuilder" strategy.

How BC_SB Works Under the Hood #

BC_SB is the most straightforward strategy—it generates bytecode that mimics the manual StringBuilder code you'd write yourself. Here's the play-by-play from the source:

1. Initialize a StringBuilder
   The generator creates bytecode to instantiate an empty StringBuilder—exactly like writing new StringBuilder() in Java. No fancy pre-sizing here; it starts with the default capacity.

2. Append All Arguments
   For every element you're concatenating (whether it's a string literal, variable, primitive, etc.), the generator emits bytecode calling the appropriate StringBuilder.append() method overload. For example, if your concat is "Hi " + username + "!", it generates logic equivalent to:

   sb.append("Hi ");
   sb.append(username);
   sb.append("!");
   

   (This happens in raw bytecode instructions, not explicit Java code.)

3. Convert to String and Return
   Finally, it adds bytecode to call StringBuilder.toString(), which converts the accumulated characters into a String instance and returns it.

Why This Is the Default #

BC_SB balances simplicity and performance. It's easy to generate, works reliably for all concatenation scenarios, and avoids the overhead of older string concatenation methods (like creating intermediate String objects with + in pre-JDK 9 code).

Quick High-Level Notes on Other Strategies #

If you're curious, here's a quick breakdown to put BC_SB in context:

• BC_SB_SIZED: Similar to BC_SB, but pre-calculates the total length of all concatenated elements to initialize the StringBuilder with an exact capacity. This avoids costly internal array resizes during appends.
• BC_SB_SIZED_EXACT: An even more precise version of BC_SB_SIZED, where it calculates the exact length of constant strings at generation time (instead of runtime) for extra efficiency.
• INDY_SB: Uses invokedynamic to dispatch append calls dynamically, instead of hardcoding the method invocations in bytecode. This adds flexibility for future optimizations.
• INDY_SB_SIZED: Combines INDY_SB's dynamic dispatch with the pre-sized StringBuilder from BC_SB_SIZED.
• METHOD_HANDLE: Uses method handles to invoke the concatenation logic, which is useful for dynamic or reflective scenarios where bytecode generation isn't ideal.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者XiaoXin