How can i compare the values of the objects in a class?

Question

hi ,
i am testing how to test the values of the two objects
this is the code i have return below.....
class Sample{
          String name;
          int age;
          Sample(String name,int age){
               this.name=name;
               this.age=age;
public class sample2{
          public static void main (String []arg){
               Sample one = new Sample("cat",20);
               Sample two = new Sample("cat",20);
how can i test that object one and two are equal.
can anyone clarify me about this?

Answer 1

hansbig wrote:
Um, this part doesn't work, it will never return true.
  public boolean equals(Object obj) {
if (obj == this) {
return true;
It will :) try for example objectOne.equals(objectOne); and add a System.out.println() at that part. It will return there.
>
but this part, woah dude, that's some pretty slick code you got here:
I couldn't figure out how to do the compare inside the class, but I think I see how this works.
Not sure how I would do it for an object with more than one value to check though.
    if (obj instanceof EqualsExample) {               //Not the best implementation considering possible subclasses but the easiest.
EqualsExample temp = (EqualsExample) obj;
return (this.name.equals(temp.name)); //Always use the equals function when comparing strings!
} else {
return false;
You could add them in one massive return (this.something == temp.something && etc). Or you could split it in a series of if statements. It's really dependant on what kind of variables there are in your class.
Maybe you have an ArrayList you need to compare but also an id. then it would make more sense to check the id first and then possibly loop through the arraylist.
Hope it's a bit more clear :)
Edited by: hms on Jan 16, 2008 11:25 AM