java - StackOverFlowError when initializing constructor for a list

Question

I'm confused about why I keep getting a java.lang.StackOverFlow error when I try to write a constructor for MyArrayList, a personal version of the arraylist class in java. I know StackOverFlow errors happen when there is a recursive call, but that doesn't appear to be the case for the code I have written? Can anybody help explain why I'm getting this error?

This is my code, I've included all of the constructors I have written, but the first MyArrayList() is the one that the error indicates in the compiler.

public class MyArrayList<T> {

private int capacity;
private int size;
private T[] data;
**private MyArrayList<T> test;**

private T[] createArrayOfSize(int size)
{
    T[] newArray = (T[]) new Object[size];
    return newArray;

}


**public MyArrayList() {

    this.test = new MyArrayList();

  }**

 public MyArrayList (int initialCapacity) {

   test.data = createArrayOfSize(initialCapacity);

  }

 public MyArrayList(List<T> items) {


     for (int i = 0; i < items.size(); i++) {

       test.data[i] = items.get(i);

   }

 }

Apologies for the slightly crappy formatting.

Answer 1

public MyArrayList() {

    this.test = new MyArrayList();

  }

This bad boy is giving you the problem. Whenever you use "new" operator, a call to the object's constructor is made. Now, inside your constructor you are using "new" again. This new will again call your MyArrayList constructor (which again uses new). this goes on recursively until there is no space left on Stack. So you get StackOverflowError