How to print array contents with a getter?

Question

I'm trying to print contents of an array stored inside an ArrayList.

My constructor parameters are (String,String,String,String[], String, String).

When creating add. function to the arrayList the contents are stored in the String[] parameter.

But when using a getter method to return the String[], it launches an error: "Type mismatch: cannot convert from String to String[]".

Eclipse solution is to change getter method to String, but then the add. function doesn't work because the parameter should be String[].

Also all the .toString , .clone , etc, returns memory location not array contents. Desperate for help:! Here is part of my code:

    public class NewRegandLogin {
    
        private String alumniFirstName; 
        private String alumniLastName;
        private String alumniId;
        private  Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        private String linkedInPage;
        static ArrayList<NewRegandLogin> loginInformation = new ArrayList<>();
        private  String alumniIdImput;
        private  String passwordImput;
        private String permanentPasword;
        private String[] coursesList;
    
        public NewRegandLogin(String alumniFirstName, String alumniLastName,String alumniId, String[] coursesList, String linkedInPage, String permanentPasword) {
            this.alumniFirstName=alumniFirstName;
            this.alumniLastName = alumniLastName;
            this.alumniId = alumniId;
            this.coursesList = coursesList;
            this.linkedInPage = linkedInPage;
            this.permanentPasword = permanentPasword;       
        }
        
        public void setAlumniCourses() {
        
            coursesList = new String[10];
            
            for (int i=0; i < coursesList.length; i++) {
                if(coursesList[i]==null) {
                    System.out.println("Completed Course Name: ");
                    coursesList[i]=scanner.next();
                }
                if(coursesList[i].equals("s") || coursesList[i].equals("S")) {
                    break;
                }
            }
        }
    
        public String[] getCourses() {
            return Arrays.toString(coursesList);
        }

main

public class Main {
    
    static NewRegandLogin newRegAndLogin = new NewRegandLogin(null, null, null, null, null, null);

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        System.out.println("Please make a list of completed Courses: (Enter S to stop adding courses) ");
        newRegAndLogin.setAlumniCourses();
        loginInformation.add(newRegAndLogin);
        printAlumniProfile();
        }
            
    public static void printAlumniProfile() {
        for (int i = 0; i<NewRegandLogin.loginInformation.size();i++) {
            System.out.println(((i+1)+"-"+ NewRegandLogin.loginInformation.get(i)));
            System.out.println();
        }           
    }
}

Output: 1-Alumni Name: Geri Glazer Alumni ID: geri.glazer.she-codes Courses completed: [Ljava.lang.String;@3dd3bcd

Answer 1

public String[] getCourses() {
    return Arrays.toString(coursesList);
}

Arrays.toString returns a String , not a String[] . If you want to return a String , change the return type to String .

public String getCourses() {
    return Arrays.toString(coursesList);
}

If you want to return a single-element array, containing the string representation of coursesList , you can wrap the String in an array:

public String[] getCourses() {
    return new String[]{Arrays.toString(coursesList)};
}

If you want to return the array, just return the array:

public String[] getCourses() {
    return coursesList;
}

Or, more safely, return a defensive copy of the array (to prevent the caller changing the internal array):

public String[] getCourses() {
    return Arrays.copyOf(coursesList, coursesList.length);
}