I have a file directory which could look like either C:\projects\lab3\test\test.java or C:\projects\assignment3\test\test.java But the "lab3" or "assignment3" can appear anywhere in the directory, it is not a set directory What i want is to check to see if the directory either contains "lab" or "assignment" and get the number that follows. In this case "3" This is what i have so far if(directory.toLowerCase().contains("lab")){ } else if (directory.toLowerCase().contains("assignment")){ } but i do not know how to check for the char straight after the word?