[java] Java: Sending Multiple Parameters to Method

Here is my Scenario:

I've got to call a method. Let the parameters be: Parameter1, Parameter2, .. , .. , Parameter N But the Parameters to be sent to the method might change in each case.

Case 1: Only Parameter1 is sent

Case 2: A combination of Parameters is sent

Case 3: All Parameters are sent

What is the best way to achieve this in Java ?

This question is related to java methods

The answer is


The solution depends on the answer to the question - are all the parameters going to be the same type and if so will each be treated the same?

If the parameters are not the same type or more importantly are not going to be treated the same then you should use method overloading:

public class MyClass
{
  public void doSomething(int i) 
  {
    ...
  }

  public void doSomething(int i, String s) 
  {
    ...
  }

  public void doSomething(int i, String s, boolean b) 
  {
    ...
  }
}

If however each parameter is the same type and will be treated in the same way then you can use the variable args feature in Java:

public MyClass 
{
  public void doSomething(int... integers)
  {
    for (int i : integers) 
    {
      ...
    }
  }
}

Obviously when using variable args you can access each arg by its index but I would advise against this as in most cases it hints at a problem in your design. Likewise, if you find yourself doing type checks as you iterate over the arguments then your design needs a review.


Suppose you have void method that prints many objects;

public static void print( Object... values){
   for(Object c : values){
      System.out.println(c);
   }
}

Above example I used vararge as an argument that accepts values from 0 to N.

From comments: What if 2 strings and 5 integers ??

Answer:

print("string1","string2",1,2,3,4,5);

You can use varargs

public function yourFunction(Parameter... parameters)

See also

Java multiple arguments dot notation - Varargs