How to use the toString method in Java?

Question

Can anybody explain to me the concept of the toString() method, defined in the Object class? How is it used, and what is its purpose?

Answer 1

From the Object.toString docs:

Returns a string representation of the object. In general, the toString method returns a string that "textually represents" this object. The result should be a concise but informative representation that is easy for a person to read. It is recommended that all subclasses override this method.

The toString method for class Object returns a string consisting of the name of the class of which the object is an instance, the at-sign character `@', and the unsigned hexadecimal representation of the hash code of the object. In other words, this method returns a string equal to the value of:

getClass().getName() + '@' + Integer.toHexString(hashCode())

Example:

String[] mystr ={"a","b","c"};
System.out.println("mystr.toString: " + mystr.toString());

output:- mystr.toString: [Ljava.lang.String;@13aaa14a