CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javaoverridingtostring
yhware
yhware

Reputation: 532

How use a overridden toString() method in java

I have to override the toString() method and I have done so as below

public String toString() {
     String str = "The zoo is capable of keeping " + park.length + "animals\nThe following is the list of animals currently in the zoo.";
        for(int i = 0; i < park.length; i++)
            str += '\n' + "cage " + i + " status: " + park[i];

        return str;
}

and created another method to print this

public void print() {
    System.out.println(park.toString());
}

Somehow when I use the print method in my main method, the following comes up

[LAnimal;@3a67ad79

Now, someone suggested to me that I might actually be using the default toString() method and hence bringing the actual address memory.

What do you guys reckon the problem is?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 234

Answers (4)

Reimeus
Reimeus

Reputation: 159874

From the use of park.length and the application output it appears that park is an array of type Animal. Therefore

System.out.println(park.toString());

should be

System.out.println(Arrays.toString(park));

(since Arrays don't override the Object#toString method)

Upvotes: 2

Prabhakaran Ramaswamy
Prabhakaran Ramaswamy

Reputation: 26084

You are printing park[i] within you toString() method

str += '\n' + "cage " + i + " status: " + park[i];

                                          ^
                                          |_________ Here you are printing the Object

Upvotes: 0

Maroun
Maroun

Reputation: 96016

You cannot override toString for array, use Arrays#toString instead.

Upvotes: 2

user2964420
user2964420

Reputation: 148

you must add @Override

@Override public String toString() {
     String str = "The zoo is capable of keeping " + park.length + "animals\nThe following   is     the list of animals currently in the zoo.";
        for(int i = 0; i < park.length; i++)
            str += '\n' + "cage " + i + " status: " + park[i];

    return str;
}

Upvotes: 0

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