How to Write a Program in Java That Inputs N Words (String) & Outputs Them in Alphabetical Order

It can be helpful to sort a list of names into alphabetical order so that you can display them in an intuitive way to program users. It's also easier to search through alphabetically-ordered lists with Java algorithms. One way to sort names stored as strings is to place them in a Java array, and then use its built-in "sort" method to organize strings, such as "zz, yy, bb" into "bb, yy, zz."

Instructions

1. Open the Java file in an editor, such as Eclipse, Netbeans or JBuilder X.

2. Declare an array of string and add the names by adding the code:

   "String [] names = new String[] { "luke", "bob", "jennifer" };."

3. Sort the names by adding the code: "Arrays.sort(names);." The "sort" method arranges the array in ascending order, which for strings corresponds to alphabetical order.

4. Output the sorted names by adding the code:

   "System.out.println(Arrays.toString(names))". Using the previous example, it will display "[bob, jennifer, luke]."

5. Save the Java file, compile and run the program to view the outputted names in alphabetical order.

References

• Oracle: Arrays
• Java Notes: Sorting Arrays