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Java Java Data Structures - Retired Efficiency! Building the Model

Posted by Eli Goodwin
Eli Goodwin
29,502 Points

question about the method toString()...

Why are we overriding the toString() method from the one that this included in the Java library? Why not create a method called "printInstance()" that does not require overriding?

1 Answer

Seth Kroger
Seth Kroger
56,414 Points
Seth Kroger
Seth Kroger
56,414 Points

toString() is a lot more general. You aren't doing a specific thing with it, like printing to the console. You could also use it to make label text for a GUI, for example. There are also situations where Java will automatically call toString() on an object to get its string representation. toString() is provided so it's available to all objects but it's also a method that's meant to be overridden.