why it does print "[ ]" for the ArrayList where as it is some memory value for array?

[chirthal prasad]

consider the following code.If we try to print just "ar" it returns a value like "[Ljava.lang.reflect.Array;@10b62c9" where as if we try to print ArrayList "li" it prints "[]".

I know the basic difference between the Array and ArrayList i.e the elemnts they hold, their size and their manipulations.

import java.util.*;
import java.lang.reflect.*;
class Example
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
Array ar[]=new Array[5];
System.out.println(ar);
List li=new ArrayList();
System.out.println(li);
}
}

[Petrus Pelser]

If you print out something, it automatically invokes the toString() method on the object.

In the array's case, the toString() method only returns a representation of the array's memory address.

In the ArrayList class, however, the toString() method is overridden to return the contents of the list.



(edit: overwritten -> overridden )
[ October 04, 2006: Message edited by: Barry Gaunt ]

[Karthigeyan Kannabiran]

Exactly and Since in your code nothing added to ArrayList object it prints "[]". try it by adding some values to the ArrayList and print it and see the difference.