Question

Suppose a variable strlst has been declared as:

ArrayListstrlst = new ArrayList();
write a code segment that will find and print the string in the list that comes first in lexicographic order.

Answer 1

The code segment initializes a variable to store the first string, iterates through the ArrayList to find the smallest lexicographic string, and prints it. It handles cases where the list might be empty.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the string that comes first in lexicographic order within an ArrayList, the following code can be used:

ArrayList strlst = new ArrayList();
// Assuming the list is populated with strings
if (strlst.size() > 0) {
String firstInOrder = strlst.get(0);
for (String str : strlst) {
if (str.compareTo(firstInOrder) < 0) {
firstInOrder = str;
}
}
System.out.println("First string in lexicographic order: " + firstInOrder);
} else {
System.out.println("The list is empty.");
}

This code initializes firstInOrder to the first element of the list and then iterates through the rest of the ArrayList, updating firstInOrder if a string is found that comes before it lexicographically. Finally, it prints the first string in lexicographic order. If the list is empty, it prints a message stating that the list is empty.