(Comparing Strings) Write an application that uses String method compareTo to compare two strings input by the user. Output whether the first string is less than, equal to or greater than the second.

Understanding the compareTo method in Java is essential for performing string comparisons. This method is a part of the String class and is used to compare two strings lexicographically. When you call str1.compareTo(str2), the result is an integer that tells us the relationship between the two strings.

The value returned by compareTo will be zero if the strings are identical, a negative number if str1 comes before str2 in lexicographic order, and a positive number if str1 comes after str2. It's crucial to check the sign of the returned value to understand the ordering of the strings rather than focusing on the magnitude of the difference.

In Java programming, handling strings is a fundamental skill, and the compareTo method is just one of many tools available for string manipulation. Java is an object-oriented language, and the String class provides a multitude of methods for various operations such as comparison, concatenation, and examination of individual characters. When learning Java, it's important to become familiar with these methods as they are widely used in coding interviews, algorithms, and real-world applications.

The example problem we discussed illustrates how to prompt user input and apply string comparison. This exercise underlines the importance of understanding method usage and conditional logic, both key concepts in Java programming. Remember, practice with these foundational elements will significantly improve your coding skills.

Lexicographic order is a term borrowed from the world of dictionaries. It's the way of ordering words based on the alphabetical sequence of their component letters. In Java, the compareTo method uses Unicode values to compare individual characters, which means it's not just limited to the English alphabet but can compare any characters defined in the Unicode standard.

To properly utilize lexicographic ordering in Java, one must be aware of these Unicode values, especially when dealing with special characters. For instance, capital letters have different Unicode values compared to their lowercase counterparts, which can influence the comparison result. It's also worth noting that non-alphabetic characters, such as numbers and symbols, are included in this ordering system based on their Unicode values.