What is the best way to sort array list?

Use Arrays.sort with a Comparator built on the last name

use the following:

Collections.sort(books,  new Comparator {
   public int compare(Object a, Object b) {
      return ((Book)a).getAuthorLastName().compareTo(((Book)b).getAuthorLastName());
   }
});

Try

Collections.sort(books, new Comparator<Book>() {
	public int compare(Book b1, Book b2) {
		return b1.getLastName().compareTo(b2.getLastName());
	}
});

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this is where I put the Comparator I doing think it is in the right place.

/**********************************************************
*Author: Joshua.vangulden
*File Name: BookDriver.java
*CS219 HW#4
*
*This program is to help add new books, Author name and
*the price.
**********************************************************/
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
 
public class BookDriver {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
 
/*************raw data for input**************/
 
		String [] tittle = {"Band of Brothers", "Beloved", "Catch-22", "East of Eden",
							"Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire", "Of Mice and Men",
							"The Catcher in the Rye", "The Grapes Of Wrath",
							"To Kill a Mockingbird"}; //name of book
		String [] lname = {"Ambrose", "Morrison", "Heller", "Steinbeck", "Rowling",
						"Steinbeck", "Salinger", "Steinbeck", "Lee"} ; // Author Last Name
		String [] fname = {"Stephen E.", "Toni", "Joseph", "John", "J.K.", "John", "J.D.",
						"John", "Harper"} ; // Author first Name
		int [] qty = {10, 23, 12, 45, 2, 13, 11, 17, 8} ; // numbers of books in store
		double [] price = {9.60, 12.95, 12.00, 12.95, 18.16, 6.95, 5.99, 13.00, 18.00}; // price of each book
		//Book books;
 
/******* Sort the book by Author last name ********/
 
        ArrayList <Book> books = new ArrayList <Book>();//Array list of Book lists
 
		//Make a bookslist
 
        	books.add(new Book("Band of Brothers", "Ambrose", "Stephen E.", 10, 9.60));
        	books.add(new Book("Beloved", "Morrison","Toni", 23, 12.95));
        	books.add(new Book("Catch-22","Heller","Joseph",12, 12.00));
        	books.add(new Book("East of Eden","Steinbeck","John",45, 12.95));
        	books.add(new Book("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire","Rowling","J.K.",2, 18.16));
        	books.add(new Book("Of Mice and Men","Steinbeck","John",13,6.95));
        	books.add(new Book("The Catcher in the Rye","Salinger","J.D.",11, 5.99));
        	books.add(new Book("The Grapes of Wrath","Steinbeck", "John", 17, 13.00));
        	books.add(new Book("To Kill a Mockingbird","Lee","Harper",8, 18.00));
 
        	//System.out.println("my Book List"+ books.toString());
 
			Collections.sort(books, new Comparator<Book>() {
			   public int compare(Book b1, Book b2) {
			            return b1.getlastName().compareTo(b2.getlastName());
			        }
			});
 
        	System.out.println("===my Book List===");
			for (int i=0; i<books.size(); i++){
			    Book book=books.get(i);
			    System.out.print((i+1)+")");
			    System.out.println(book.getTitle()+"  "+book.getAuthorFirstName()+" "+
			    					book.getAuthorLastName()+"  "+book.getPrice()+"  "+book.getQuantity());
 
			    System.out.println();
			}// end for i loop
			System.out.println("===my Book List Ended===");
 
 
 
	  	// sort by the Auther Last name.;
 
 
 
 
 
 
/******** print to screen ************/
 
		System.out.println ("                           Book Report. Sorted by author");
		System.out.println (" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------");
		System.out.println ("	Title				Last Name   First Name    Qty     Price");
		System.out.println (" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------");
 
		for(int i=0; i<qty.length; i++){
			System.out.printf("%-40s%-12s%-12s%5d%10.2f\n", tittle[i], lname[i], fname[i], qty[i], price[i]);
 
		}// end i for loop
 
		System.out.println();
 
 
  } // end main
 
} // end class SalesManagerDriver

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you haven't copied the code i posted correctly,
should be:

...
                System.out.println("===my Book List===");
                        for (int i=0; i<books.size(); i++){
                            Book book=books.get(i);
                            System.out.print((i+1)+")");
                            System.out.println(book.getTitle()+"  "+book.getAuthorFirstName()+" "+
                                                                book.getAuthorLastName()+"  "+book.getPrice()+"  "+book.getQuantity());
 
                            System.out.println();
                        }// end for i loop
                        System.out.println("===my Book List Ended===");
 
 
 
                // sort by the Auther Last name.;

Collections.sort(books,  new Comparator {
   public int compare(Object a, Object b) {
      return ((Book)a).getAuthorLastName().compareTo(((Book)b).getAuthorLastName());
   }
});


                System.out.println("===my sorted Book List===");
                        for (int i=0; i<books.size(); i++){
                            Book book=books.get(i);
                            System.out.print((i+1)+")");
                            System.out.println(book.getTitle()+"  "+book.getAuthorFirstName()+" "+
                                                                book.getAuthorLastName()+"  "+book.getPrice()+"  "+book.getQuantity());
 
                            System.out.println();
                        }// end for i loop
                        System.out.println("===my Book List Ended===");

if usibg java5+ then you can change it to:

Collections.sort(books,  new Comparator<Book> {
   public int compare(Book a, Book b) {
      return a.getAuthorLastName().compareTo(b.getAuthorLastName());
   }
});

>>if usibg java5+ then you can change it to:

(Already mentioned)

Object I copy the code and it is giving me an Compile error.

/**********************************************************
*Author: Joshua.vangulden
*File Name: BookDriver.java
*CS219 HW#4
*
*This program is to help add new books, Author name and
*the price.
**********************************************************/
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
 
public class BookDriver {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
 
/*************raw data for input**************/
 
		String [] tittle = {"Band of Brothers", "Beloved", "Catch-22", "East of Eden",
							"Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire", "Of Mice and Men",
							"The Catcher in the Rye", "The Grapes Of Wrath",
							"To Kill a Mockingbird"}; //name of book
		String [] lname = {"Ambrose", "Morrison", "Heller", "Steinbeck", "Rowling",
						"Steinbeck", "Salinger", "Steinbeck", "Lee"} ; // Author Last Name
		String [] fname = {"Stephen E.", "Toni", "Joseph", "John", "J.K.", "John", "J.D.",
						"John", "Harper"} ; // Author first Name
		int [] qty = {10, 23, 12, 45, 2, 13, 11, 17, 8} ; // numbers of books in store
		double [] price = {9.60, 12.95, 12.00, 12.95, 18.16, 6.95, 5.99, 13.00, 18.00}; // price of each book
		//Book books;
 
/******* Sort the book by Author last name ********/
 
        ArrayList <Book> books = new ArrayList <Book>();//Array list of Book lists
 
		//Make a bookslist
 
        	books.add(new Book("Band of Brothers", "Ambrose", "Stephen E.", 10, 9.60));
        	books.add(new Book("Beloved", "Morrison","Toni", 23, 12.95));
        	books.add(new Book("Catch-22","Heller","Joseph",12, 12.00));
        	books.add(new Book("East of Eden","Steinbeck","John",45, 12.95));
        	books.add(new Book("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire","Rowling","J.K.",2, 18.16));
        	books.add(new Book("Of Mice and Men","Steinbeck","John",13,6.95));
        	books.add(new Book("The Catcher in the Rye","Salinger","J.D.",11, 5.99));
        	books.add(new Book("The Grapes of Wrath","Steinbeck", "John", 17, 13.00));
        	books.add(new Book("To Kill a Mockingbird","Lee","Harper",8, 18.00));
 
        	//System.out.println("my Book List"+ books.toString());
 
			System.out.println("===my Book List===");
			for (int i=0; i<books.size(); i++){
			     Book book=books.get(i);
			     System.out.print((i+1)+")");
			     System.out.println(book.getTitle()+"  "+book.getAuthorFirstName()+" "+
			                       book.getAuthorLastName()+"  "+book.getPrice()+"  "+book.getQuantity());
 
			     System.out.println();
			}// end for i loop
			System.out.println("===my Book List Ended===");
 
			// sort by the Auther Last name.;
 
			Collections.sort(books,  new Comparator {
			   public int compare(Object a, Object b) {
			      return ((Book)a).getAuthorLastName().compareTo(((Book)b).getAuthorLastName());
			   }
			});
 
 
			 System.out.println("===my sorted Book List===");
			 for (int i=0; i<books.size(); i++){
			      Book book=books.get(i);
			      System.out.print((i+1)+")");
			      System.out.println(book.getTitle()+"  "+book.getAuthorFirstName()+" "+
			                        book.getAuthorLastName()+"  "+book.getPrice()+"  "+book.getQuantity());
 
			       System.out.println();
			  }// end for i loop
              System.out.println("===my Book List Ended===");
 
/******** print to screen ************/
 
		System.out.println ("                           Book Report. Sorted by author");
		System.out.println (" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------");
		System.out.println ("	Title				Last Name   First Name    Qty     Price");
		System.out.println (" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------");
 
		for(int i=0; i<qty.length; i++){
			System.out.printf("%-40s%-12s%-12s%5d%10.2f\n", tittle[i], lname[i], fname[i], qty[i], price[i]);
 
		}// end i for loop
 
		System.out.println();
 
 
  } // end main
 
} // end class SalesManagerDriver

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whats the error?

You are the best

Thx :)