Thread: Returning an array

So this class take the value of endMiles and startMiles from the main class. Then it would calculate the distance by subtracing the startMiles from endMiles then returning the value of distanceV(This is the variable I use). As you can see I have a method to return the value of distanceV, this work perfectly fine but I'm calculating more than one distance so I want to put all the distanceV into an array. I have two method to put the distanceV to an array but when I return it and try to print it in the main method, it give me some random characters. Thanks

public class AnnualFuelUse
{
    //Variables
    private int endVMiles , startVMiles, distanceV;
 
	private int [] distanceArray = new int[4];
 
    //Constructor
    AnnualFuelUse(int endMiles,int startMiles)
    {
        endVMiles = endMiles;
        startVMiles= startMiles;
        distanceV = 0;
 
    }
 
    //Calculation
        public void calcDistance()
    {
        distanceV =  endVMiles - startVMiles;   
    }
 
    //Return startDistance
    public int getStart()
    {
        return startVMiles;
    }
    //Return endDistance
    public int getEnd()
    {
        return endVMiles;
    }
    //Return distance
    public int getDistance()
    {
        return distanceV;
    }
 
        //Calc distanceArray
    public void calcArray()
    {
        for(int index = 0 ; index < distanceArray.length; index++)
        {
            distanceArray[index] = distanceV;
        }
    }
 
    //Return distanceArray
    public int[] getArray()
    {
        return distanceArray;
    }
}

This is the main method class

public class AnnualFuelUseTester
{
    public static void main(String[]args)
    {
        //Array of object
        AnnualFuelUse fuelUse []= {
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17283 , 16923 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17483 , 17283 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17733 , 17483 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(18033 , 17733 )
                                  };
 
 
    //Call Methods
    for(int index = 0 ; index < fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        fuelUse[index].calcDistance();
 
    }
 
	//Print max/min
	System.out.println("Here is an example:"+fuelUse[1].getArray());
    }
}

This print out " This is an example :[I@36c27576"

Is what I did on the other class the way to return an array ? Thanks

So instead of making the array in the outer class, I decided to make the array in the main method class.(I haven't learn the toString yet so can't used it). Here is what I have. Is it possible to put any of this: - in the outer class ( The class in my orignal post) instead of the main? Thanks

  int[] distanceA = new int[4];
    for(int index = 0 ; index< fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        distanceA[index] = fuelUse[index].getDistance();
    }
	int min  = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
	for(int i = 0 ; i < distanceA.length;i++)
	{
		if(distanceA[i] < min)
			min = distanceA[i];

public class AnnualFuelUseTester
{
    public static void main(String[]args)
    {
        //Array of object
        AnnualFuelUse fuelUse []= {
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17283 , 16923 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17483 , 17283 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17733 , 17483 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(18033 , 17733 )
                                  };
 
 
    //Call Methods
    for(int index = 0 ; index < fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        fuelUse[index].calcDistance();
 
    }
 
    int[] distanceA = new int[4];
    for(int index = 0 ; index< fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        distanceA[index] = fuelUse[index].getDistance();
    }
	int min  = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
	for(int i = 0 ; i < distanceA.length;i++)
	{
		if(distanceA[i] < min)
			min = distanceA[i];
    }
 
    }
}

With the toString method or my modify code?

With this code :

public class AnnualFuelUseTester
{
    public static void main(String[]args)
    {
        //Array of object
        AnnualFuelUse fuelUse []= {
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17283 , 16923 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17483 , 17283 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17733 , 17483 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(18033 , 17733 )
                                  };
 
 
    //Call Methods
    for(int index = 0 ; index < fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        fuelUse[index].calcDistance();
 
    }
 
    int[] distanceA = new int[4];
    for(int index = 0 ; index< fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        distanceA[index] = fuelUse[index].getDistance();
    }
	int min  = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
	for(int i = 0 ; i < distanceA.length;i++)
	{
		if(distanceA[i] < min)
			min = distanceA[i];
    }
 
    }
}

It print out perfectly what I wanted, but I wanted this part of the code: - To be in the AnnualFuelUse class (My orignal post) instead of the main class. It is appropriate to have this part of the code in the main class instead of the AnnualFuelUse? I thought the main class suppose to be only used for calling on the method on the outside class ( I don't know what it called when one class is associated with another so I'll just call it outside class) Thanks

  int[] distanceA = new int[4];
    for(int index = 0 ; index< fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        distanceA[index] = fuelUse[index].getDistance();
    }
	int min  = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
	for(int i = 0 ; i < distanceA.length;i++)
	{
		if(distanceA[i] < min)
			min = distanceA[i];
    }

I prefer coding the way you describe it too.- Yes I try making it a method but I don't know how to get it minimum value (min) back to the main method class so I can display it.

public class AnnualFuelUse
{
    //Variables
    private int endVMiles , startVMiles, distanceV;
    private int [] distanceArray = new int[4];
    private int min  = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    //Constructor
    AnnualFuelUse(int endMiles,int startMiles)
    {
        endVMiles = endMiles;
        startVMiles= startMiles;
        distanceV = 0;
 
    }
 
    //Calculation
        public void calcDistance()
    {
        distanceV =  endVMiles - startVMiles;   
    }
 
    //Return startDistance
    public int getStart()
    {
        return startVMiles;
    }
    //Return endDistance
    public int getEnd()
    {
        return endVMiles;
    }
    //Return distance
    public int getDistance()
    {
        return distanceV;
    }
 
         //Calc distanceArray
    public void calcArray()
    {
        for(int index = 0 ; index < distanceArray.length; index++)
        {
            distanceArray[index] = distanceV;
        }
    }   
 
    public void calcDDD()
    {
	for(int i = 0 ; i < 4;i++)
	{
		if(distanceArray[i] < min)
			min = distanceArray[i];
         }
    }
 
    public int getMin()
    {
        return min;
    }
}

I was thinking of putting this in the main method class : - But since the methods are not static, I can't call the method this way. May I get a hint of how to call it? Thanks

System.out.println("Min Value:"+AnnualFuelUse.getMin());

Would this be a consider the reference to the instance? Thanks

        AnnualFuelUse fuelUse []= {
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17283 , 16923 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17483 , 17283 ),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(17733 , 17483),
                                   new AnnualFuelUse(18033 , 17733 )
                                  };

Hmm yes. This is why I was having the problem of turning the finding the minimum value into a methods. I guess I'll keep it in the main method to make it easier. Thanks for your help!

I didn't want to spam the forum with a new thread, so hopefully it find for me to request help in this same one since it related.
I'm getting loss of precision for the following : - mpgA is a double but "i" is an int. So I get the loss of precision here "minMPG = mpgA[i]" How can I fix this? Thanks

	double[] mpgA = new double[4];
    for(int index = 0 ; index< fuelUse.length; index++)
    {
        mpgA[index] = fuelUse[index].getMPG();
    }
 
	int minMPG  = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
	for(int i = 0 ; i < mpgA.length;i++)
	{
		if(mpgA[i] < minMPG)
			minMPG = mpgA[i];
    }

So I cast the array of double to array of int?