How to return multiple values in Java using the “return” statement?

1 year ago
Olivia Parker
2 minutes

In Java, a method can only return one value. However, multiple values can be returned in different ways, such as:

  1. Using an array or a collection: multiple values can be stored in an array, list, or other collection, and then this array or collection can be returned as the method’s result.
public static List<Integer> getMultipleValues() {
    List<Integer> values = new ArrayList<>();
    values.add(1);
    values.add(2);
    values.add(3);
    return values;
}
  1. You can use custom objects by defining an object that contains multiple values, and then returning that object as the return value of a method.
public class CustomObject {
    private int value1;
    private int value2;
    
    public CustomObject(int value1, int value2) {
        this.value1 = value1;
        this.value2 = value2;
    }
    
    public int getValue1() {
        return value1;
    }
    
    public int getValue2() {
        return value2;
    }
}

public static CustomObject getMultipleValues() {
    return new CustomObject(1, 2);
}
  1. You can utilize a Map to store multiple key-value pairs, and then return this Map as the method’s result.
public static Map<String, Integer> getMultipleValues() {
    Map<String, Integer> values = new HashMap<>();
    values.put("value1", 1);
    values.put("value2", 2);
    return values;
}

Here are some common methods that can be used to return multiple values. Choose the appropriate way based on specific needs to return multiple values.

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