Question

I don’t know why I have to use Array.toString in the split(String reges) method. I have tried that if I leave the Array.toString() method, but after that the method writes out only the memory address.

This is the original code:

public static String knights=
        "Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must " +
        "cut down the mightiest tree in the forest... " +
        "with... a herring!";

public static void split(String regex){
    System.out.println(Arrays.toString(knights.split(regex)));
}

And I have tried this:

public static void split(String regex){
    System.out.println(knights.split(regex).toString());
}

But it writes out only the address, and didn’t the contain of knights.

Or how can I rewrite the split method without use the Arrays.toString() method?

Answer 1

The Arrays.toString call is necessary because String#split returns an array of Strings. You could, alternatively, iterate through the results, as follows:

String[] results = knights.split(regex);
for (String result : results) {
    System.out.println(result);
}

The formatting of the output would be slightly different, but it achieves the same idea. But as you can see, Arrays.toString is a bit more concise, and requires less effort on your part. The iteration method (above) gives you more control over the formatting of the output, however.