Returning an array of data from database in a java method

str is declared inside your try block. You need to move the return inside that block.

As a side note, it is almost never a good idea to System.out.println an exception

What's happening is that everything declared within try/catch statements can potentially not happen—the compiler is trying to prevent this.

For example, if you have a method with the following structure (as you said in another comment):

public boolean trueOrFalse()
{
    try
    {
        somethingExceptional();
        boolean result = true;
        return result;
    }
    catch(Exception e)
    {
        doSomething(e);
    }
}

You are telling the compiler that your method will return a boolean, but if somethingExceptional() happens, and an exception is thrown, nothing will be returned because the rest of the try will be skipped!

So instead you should define your variable before the try statement, give it a default value, and return after the catch statement:

public boolean trueOrFalse()
{
    boolean result = false;

    try
    {
        somethingExceptional();
        result = true;
    }
    catch(Exception e)
    {
        doSomething(e);
    }

    return result;
}

This way, you ensure that even if somethingExceptional() does happen to throw, something will be returned from the method.

Or you can instead add a throws to the method signature and get rid of the try/catch.

Seek the second line from the bottom ,where does the variate STR declare? Before use STR,declare and initialize it. While your declaring is in the Try/Catch block , the compiler couldn't find it. Just move the declaring out of the Try/Catch block.

You should declare you array after bloc try and return it after bloc catch.

Try this

public class getDates {
    public static Date[] Dates(){

       Connection con = null;
        String url = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/";
        String db = "GreetingCard";
        String driver = "com.mysql.jdbc.Driver";
        String user = "root";
        String pass = "";
        // STR declaration outside try catch blocs
        Date[] str = new Date[10 /*any value > 0 */];
        try{
          Class.forName(driver);
          con = DriverManager.getConnection(url+db, user, pass);
          Statement st = con.createStatement();
          ResultSet rs=st.executeQuery("select date from profile");
          ResultSetMetaData metadata = rs.getMetaData();
          int columnCount = metadata.getColumnCount();
          // STR instantiation 
          str = new Date[columnCount];
          int a=0;
          //getting the dates from database to an array
          while(rs.next()){
            str[a++]=rs.getDate("date");
          }

        }catch(Exception e){
          System.out.println(e);
        }
         //returning the array str
        return str;
    }
}

Thanks all.I tried this..It worked :)

 public class getDates {
  public static Date[] Dates(){

   Connection con = null;
    String url = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/";
    String db = "GreetingCard";
    String driver = "com.mysql.jdbc.Driver";
    String user = "root";
    String pass = "";
    try{
      Class.forName(driver);
      con = DriverManager.getConnection(url+db, user, pass);
      Statement st = con.createStatement();
      ResultSet rs=st.executeQuery("select date from profile");
      ResultSetMetaData metadata = rs.getMetaData();
      int columnCount = metadata.getColumnCount();
      Date[] str = new Date[columnCount];
      int a=0;
      while(rs.next()){

      str[a++]=rs.getDate("date");
    }

      return str;
    }
     catch(Exception e){
         System.out.println(e);
         return null;
      }

  }
 }