Read text file and sort in ArrayList

[Tabula Rasa]

I want to have the Scanner read the text file, and sort the data in an ArrayList.

My fileReader and ArrayList are in my main class, but I don't know how to transfer that data to the ArrayList.

[Fubarable]

You might consider telling us more detail.

[Tabula Rasa]

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.PrintWriter;
import java.util.*;

public class StudentViewer
{
public static void main(String[] args) throws FileNotFoundException
{
File inputFile;
File outputFile;

if (args.length >= 1)
{
inputFile = new File(args[0]);
//outputFile = new File(args[1]);


AppliedStudent nameArray[] = inputFile; (This is wrong but I don't know how to correct it.)

List<AppliedStudent> names = Arrays.asList(nameArray);
Collections.sort(names);
System.out.println(names);


JFrame frame = new StudentFrame(inputFile);
frame.setTitle("Students");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOS E);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
else
throw new FileNotFoundException("File Not Found");
}
}

[Fubarable]

why not just iterate through the file in a while loop, possibly using a Scanner object?

[Tabula Rasa]

Scanner in = new Scanner(new File(args[0]));
for(int i=0; in.hasNext(); i++)
while (in.hasNext())
{
?
}

[Fubarable]

You don't want both a for loop and a while loop. A while loop alone is probably best, and you'll likely want to check hasNextLine and then in the loop, get nextLine() depending on the text file's format.

[Tabula Rasa]

It reads and prints out the data.

I have to alphabetize the data, so how do I apply the compareTo method I did in a different class?

public int compareTo(Object n)
{
AppliedStudent s = (AppliedStudent)n;
int num = lastname.compareTo(lastname);
return (num != 0 ? num : firstname.compareTo(firstname));
}

I tried to use Collections.sort but it didn't apply the method.

The names are supposed to be sorted by last name, then first name.

[Fubarable]

It reads and prints out the data.

I have to alphabetize the data, so how do I apply the compareTo method I did in a different class?

compareTo is used in a class that implements the Comparable interface. So if AppliedStudent or its parent implements this interface, then you're all set. If not, then you can't use Comparator or its compareTo method, but will have to create a Comparator<AppliedStudent> utility class and this class will contain one static method called compare that will take two AppliedStudent objects as parameters).