MyContactList.java

import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.io.Serializable;

/**
 * One object of this class represents an ArrayList containing Objects of class
 * Person. AL, GR
 **/
@SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class MyContactList implements Serializable {

	private List<Person> contactList;

	/**
	 * The Constructor takes care of initializing the ArrayList when this object
	 * is instantiated.AL, GR
	 **/
	public MyContactList() {
		contactList = new ArrayList<Person>();
	}

	/**
	 * This method is in charge of creating a new contact from its parameters
	 * and adding them to the listFile. Checks if at least last name is present
	 * otherwise it returns false and does not set anything. AL, GR
	 **/
	public void addContact(Person person) {
		if (!person.getLastName().trim().isEmpty())
			contactList.add(person);
	}

	/**
	 * Formats the object of class MyContactList's data into a string and
	 * returns it.AL, GR
	 **/
	public String toString() {
		
		sortArray();
		StringBuffer theFormat = new StringBuffer();
		theFormat.append("\n\n-------------Print Contact List------------\n");
		for (Person element : contactList) {
			theFormat.append(element.toString() + "\n");
		}
		return theFormat.toString();
	}

	/**
	 * This method sorts the ArrayList based on the last name in alphabetical
	 * order from the contacts that are already present in the List, if two
	 * Contact objects share the same last name then sortArray() will arrange
	 * them based on alphabetical order on the first names. AL, GR
	 **/
	private void sortArray() {
		Collections.sort(contactList);
	}

	/**
	 * This method returns the current size of contactList. AL, GR
	 **/
	public int getListSize() {
		return contactList.size();
	}

	/**
	 * This method takes in a String which contains the last name to lookup in
	 * the ArrayList. If an occurrence of the String is encountered it will
	 * create a new ArrayList with the object(s) appended to this new ArrayList.
	 * It then returns a Formatted String with the objects' stored
	 * information. AL, GR
	 **/
	public String searchContactByLastName(String searchLastName) {
		
		sortArray();
		StringBuffer theFormat = new StringBuffer();
		theFormat.append("\n-Results-\n");
		for(Person element : contactList){
			if(element.getLastName().compareToIgnoreCase(searchLastName.trim()) == 0){
				theFormat.append(element.toString());
			}
		}
		return theFormat.toString();
	}
}

/**
 * Feedback from Alex I think this is very good, I like the way we renamed the
 * methods to describe what they are doing. In the future, I think sortArray()
 * should be private, so that users of this class don't always have to call it
 * before printing the contact list.AL, GR
 * 
 **/

/**
 * Feddback from Adina Use toString() method instead of getArrayListForPrint()
 * to avoid giving the main() the private data structure since it can destroy it
 * as our director noted.
 **/