Thread: Calling Element of Array from Different Class

Hey there,
So I just finished up my term project and have everything working but I wanted to make one slight adjustment to the code and Im not exactly sure what I'm doing wrong - it involves retrieving a set element from an array from a different class so to some what show what I have going on:

public class example1
{
private example2 Examp;
 
public example1()
{
Examp = new example2();
}
 
public void getArray()
{
if(Var >= 10 && Var <= 20) {
System.out.println(?) }
}
 
}

2nd Class the array is in

public class example2
{
private String array[];
 
public example2()
{
Array = new String[10]
genArray()
}
 
public void genArray()
{
Array[0]="Some Text here"
Array[1]="Some Text here"
Array[2]="Some Text here"
}
 
/**
*I was thinking something like this but I would rather just input the index # is all to retrive
*the corresponding code in the array
*/
public String get(String[] Array, int index)
{
return Array[index];
}
 
}

I have an if statement that looks at a sum of numbers, and predetermined upon the set of numbers I want it to output a message by calling the index number in the array and returning the string. I currently just have the message in the if statements but would be nicer to just pull them from a different class to keep it consolidated

Thanks for the help

The code you posted lost its formatting. Perhaps you added the code tags after posting unformatted code. Next time, copy the formatted code directly from your editor and post between code tags OR post the code and then add the code tags at both ends.

I notice you have a getArray() method with a return type of 'void'. Methods that 'get' something would typically return something.

Your last method (reformatted and posted here

/**
 *I was thinking something like this but I would rather just input the index
 *# is all to retrive the corresponding code in the array
 */
public String get(String[] Array, int index)
{
    return Array[index];
}

should work fine, but I'd give it a better name, like getArrayElement(). Or, if you'd like the method to return an element from a specific array as you described in the comment, then call it getNameArrayElement() (or whatever that array is), and then simply pass the method an index number.

Thanks for the Reply I guess I wasn't clear on my first post, Ill see If I can clear this up a bit more in the 1st class I have an if loop that takes 2 numbers add it them together to spit out a random fortune based on the number as of right now I have:

    public int getFortune()
    {
        int sum = month + day;
        if(sum < 0 || sum > 43){
            System.out.println("A thrilling time is in your immediate future.");

Now the problem is the System.out.println("said text here") <--- I don't want that text there, I know it works and does as it needs but I want all the fortunes located in a different class in a predefined array and I would like to be able to call something like

System.out.println(className.getArray(1));

and return the string related to the index of the Array in which is asked for, I'm lost as to what needs to go into each of the classes to make this happen. The code from my first post shows what I have so far and I have no idea if Im attacking this correctly or not, I have the program working I just wanted to make this little tweak and got lost while trying to do it. If you can give me an example of code that has to be in each class to achieve this that would be great!

Thanks Again

Thank you So Much! That was it! Its hard to believe that String[] arg had me held up for so long and all I needed was to remove it and everything works now.

Figuring out class-to-class communication is always a big hurdle, and it shouldn't be. You've certainly already been doing it without realizing it. You'll laugh at yourself later, after you've figured out how simple it is, just as you'd chuckle at watching yourself learn to crawl, walk, etc.

Based on your latest description, I imagine you'd like a class called Fortune that simply contains a collection of all possible fortunes and the methods needed to add, remove, or randomly obtain fortunes from the collection. Then, from an instance of the class, fortunes would be obtained using the appropriate Fortune method. I've roughed out what the Fortune class might look like below.

Your other class would then create an instance of Fortune, let's call it fortune, and then use that to obtain a fortune from the collection at the index that has been randomly generated:

String randomFortune = fortune.getAFortuneAtIndex( randomIndex );

Let us know if you still have questions.

public class Fortune
{
    // instance variables
    String[] fortunes;
 
    // or it could be an ArrayList:
    // List fortunes;
 
    // default constructor
    public Fortunes( int numberOfFortunes )
    {
        // initialize instance variables
        fortunes = new String[numberOfFortunes];
 
        // or using the ArrayList
        // fortunes = new ArrayList<String>();
 
    } // end default constructor
 
    // and then the necessary methods to maintain the list
 
    // gets a fortune from the collection of fortunes
    public String getAFortuneAtIndex( int index )
    {
        return fortunes[index];
 
        // or using the ArrayList
        // return fortunes.get( index );
 
    } // end method getAFortuneAtIndex()
 
    // etc. . . . .
 
} // end class Fortune