Thread: toString problem

Originally Posted by 93tomh

...compiling error:

non-static method toString() cannot be referenced in a static context

If you are calling a function in the same class as your static void main(), you probably don't have an object, so the function must be static:

public class Z
{
    public static void main(String [] args)
    {
        foo();
    }
    // Since there is no "Z object" in this program, the function
    // must be static.
    static void foo()
    {
        System.out.println("foo() to you!");
    }
}

Speaking from recent personal experience, I have found that there are a number of things like this in Java that "take a little getting used to." Before coming to a complete understanding of everything that is involved, I decided to accept certain things as idioms, with complete illumination to come a little later.


Cheers!

Z

If you are calling a function in the same class as your static void main(), you probably don't have an object, so the function must be static:

I dont have a static void main() in any of my classes, is this the reason it is not working, or am i completely off the ball. Sorry I'm not too great with java but im trying to understand it

Sorry, i thought those parts of the code were sufficient. Here are the full classes.

public class Contact
{
    protected String fName;
    protected String sName;
    protected String street;
    protected String town;
    protected String partOnePC;
    protected String partTwoPC;
    protected String postcode;
 
 
    public Contact(String fName, String sName, String street, String town, String partOnePC, String partTwoPC)
    {
 
       this.fName = fName;
        this.sName = sName;
        this.street = street;
        this.town = town;
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
        if(partOnePC != null && (partOnePC.length() >= 3 && partOnePC.length() <= 4))
        {
            this.partOnePC = partOnePC;
 
 
        }
        else
        {
          System.out.println("Please insert a string with 3-4 characters for part one postcode");  
        }
 
        this.partOnePC = partOnePC;
        if(partTwoPC != null && (partTwoPC.charAt(2) > 0 || partTwoPC.charAt(3) > 0) && partTwoPC.length() < 4)
        {
           this.partTwoPC = partTwoPC;
        }
        else
        {
            System.out.println("Please insert a string with 3-4 characters for part two postcode");
        }
 
        this.postcode = partOnePC + " " + partTwoPC; 
    }
 
        public String toString()
        {
            String output = "First Name: " + fName + "\n" + "Second Name: " + sName + "\n" + "Street " + street + "\n" + "Town: " + town + "\n" + "Postcode: " + postcode;
 
            return output;
 
        }

[CODE
public class AddPersonalContact extends Contact
{

public String contactType;
public String phoneNumber;

public AddPersonalContact(String fName, String sName, String street, String town, String partOnePC, String partTwoPC, String phoneNumber)
{
super(fName, sName, street, town, partOnePC, partTwoPC);

this.phoneNumber = phoneNumber;
this.contactType = "Personal";
}


public String toString()
{

String output = Contact.toString() + "\n" + "Phonenumber: " + phonenumber;
return output;

}

}


[/CODE]

Fantastic! Thank you very much, seems obvious to me now haha. And dont worry, its my fault for thinking that little snippets would be enough for someone to see what was wrong with my code

Thanks a bunch!