Question

I’m looking for the “right” way to fix a problem with an array in Java:
i need an array for integers, without knowing the max value.

current solution for bypassing the limit on declaration:

private ArrayList<Integer> myArray = new ArrayList<>();

problem with this solution:

myArray.get(i);

wants to return a String instead of an int, and I need the int for further calculations…
Should i go with something else than an ArrayList or am i missing something else ?
(i’m guessing the last option…)

Answer 1

Yes, since you don’t know how many items you want your array to hold, you should indeed use an ArrayList. Furthermore myArray.get(i) will indeed return an int, just try

ArrayList<Integer> list = new ArrayList<Integer>();
list.add(3);
int a =  myArray.get(0);  // autoboxing
System.out.println(a);