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public static ArrayList mainList = someList;

How can I get a specific item from this ArrayList? mainList[3]?

The Guy with The Hat
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KJW
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    New to Java, wanted to know how to access an ArrayList element, Googled it, first result was this question. Got what I needed in a few seconds. – Gareth Lewis Mar 15 '13 at 09:55
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    JavaDoc is the documentation for Java, it contains all Objects and it's methods – xorinzor Nov 06 '13 at 21:49
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    it's a bit of an easy question, but SO posts always come up first on Google and therefore we have all of these upvotes. – SDG Aug 24 '15 at 23:15
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    JavaDoc is > 600 lines of clutter with respect to this question so referring to it is inefficient. – m12lrpv Jul 27 '18 at 22:47
  • Stackoverflow questions I always find are easier to understand and comprehend as well as more concise compared to javadoc or online tutorials. – sam1370 Jul 03 '19 at 02:35

8 Answers8

261

As many have already told you:

mainList.get(3);

Be sure to check the ArrayList Javadoc.

Also, be careful with the arrays indices: in Java, the first element is at index 0. So if you are trying to get the third element, your solution would be mainList.get(2);

The Guy with The Hat
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Tomas Narros
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40

Time to familiarize yourself with the ArrayList API and more:

ArrayList at Java 6 API Documentation

For your immediate question:

mainList.get(3);

wkl
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14
mainList.get(list_index)
Upul Bandara
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  • Presumably this was downvoted given the lack of explanation or link to where this function is documented, or perhaps just because it's (by far) the worst of (now) 6 answers which all say essentially the same thing. – Bernhard Barker Aug 13 '15 at 17:37
6
mainList.get(3);

For future reference, you should refer to the Java API for these types of questions:

http://download.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/api/java/util/ArrayList.html

It's a useful thing!

Tyler Treat
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5

We print the value using mainList.get(index) where index starts with '0'. For Example: mainList.get(2) prints the 3rd element in the list.

Vamsi
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4

You can simply get your answer from ArrayList API doc.

Please always refer API documentation .. it helps

Your call will looklike following :

mainList.get(3);

Here is simple tutorial for understanding ArrayList with Basics :) :

http://www.javadeveloper.co.in/java/java-arraylist-tutorial.html

YoK
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3

Try:

ArrayListname.get(index);

Where index is the position in the index and ArrayListname is the name of the Arraylist as in your case is mainList.

Tom Aranda
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Ash
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I have been using the ArrayListAdapter to dynamically put in the entries into the respective fields ; This can be useful , for future queries 

 AdapterView.AdapterContextMenuInfo info = (AdapterView.AdapterContextMenuInfo)item.getMenuInfo();

And then , you can fetch any arraylist item as below :

arrayListName(info.position);
1ambharath
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