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javaconventions

Convension for debug string and representation string

Hi I am writing a satisifiability checker and I have a Literal class
I need:

  • a method for showing a Literal's details/states
  • a method for displaying the raw user input's Literal.

    But there is only one toString method. Which one should I put in the toString and which one should I create a new method for? Is there a convention for this type of stuff? If yes is there a reason?

    Update
    My details/states string looks like:

    String.format("Full literal: %s, raw literal: %s, negated: %s, " +
              "tautology: %s, contradiction: %s, assigned: %s",
                this.fullLiteral, this.rawLiteral, 
                this.isNegated,   this.isTautology,
                this.isContradiction, this.isAssigned ? this.truthValue : "null");

    My raw literal string looks like:

    return String.format("Raw literal: %s", this.rawLiteral);
    • Solution

  • toString()

    Returns a string representation of the object. In general, the toString method returns a string that "textually represents" this object. The result should be a concise but informative representation that is easy for a person to read. It is recommended that all subclasses override this method.

    This may support my comment about using toString() for getting a detailed string (and consequently having a different method, like getRaw() for getting the raw data)