Doubt regarding 2 methods....

Question about the task

Logging a stack trace

Java Syntax, Level 15, Lesson 6

Resolved

why is System.out.println(e.getStackTrace); wrong and e.printStackTrace correct????????????????????????????????

package en.codegym.task.pro.task14.task1416;

/*
Logging a stack trace (THE SOLUTION AS PER CODEGYM)
*/

public class Solution {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            dangerousMethod();
        }
        catch(Exception e){

           e.printStackTrace();
        }

    }

    static void dangerousMethod() throws Exception {
        throw new Exception("Mu-ha-ha!");
    }
}

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Guadalupe Gagnon

Level 37 , Tampa, United States

6 June 2025, 15:08

solution

You probably mean:

System.out.println(e.getStackTrace());

They are not the same method. The getStackTrace() method returns an Array with each stack trace element while the printStackTrace() outputs to the System.err (not System.out) formatted information about the Exception and then each individual stack trace. To get a similar output using getStackTrace() you would have to do something like this:

public static void main(String[] args) {
    try {
        dangerousMethod();
    } catch(Exception e) {
        e.printStackTrace();

        //Outputting custom information ↓
        System.err.println(e);
        for (StackTraceElement element : e.getStackTrace())
            System.err.println("\tat " + element);
    }
}

Harshit Garg

Level 34 , Chandigarh, India

Expert

6 June 2025, 16:50

thank you!