More details are needed.

For example, what type of goal are you trying to achieve? Finding a low-running time way of printing your array or just getting the job done?

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The Iterative/Recursive approach

T, V, E, D, A, B

T is found
V is found, V should be printed after T
E is found, E should be printed before T
D is found, D should be printed before T, before E
A is found, A should be printed before T, before E, before D
B is found, B should be printed before T, before E, before D but after A

Once all of the indexes in the array are reached, recursively print the results correctly.

The Iterative/Recursive approach T, V, E, D, A, B T is found V is found, V should be printed after T E is found, E should be printed before T D is found, D should be printed before T, before E A is found, A should be printed before T, before E, before D B is found, B should be printed before T, before E, before D but after A Once all of the indexes in the array are reached, recursively print the results correctly.

I have no idea why you want to do this! What's wrong with sorting a copy? Remember that the copy array, like the original, is simply an array of references (like pointers) to the Strings; you won't copy the actual Strings unless you go out of your way so to do.

Since any Java-API based class is valid for the assignment....

I suggest inserting the values into a B-Tree (Binary Tree) then printing the objects in the tree via In-order traversal.

Create a copy of your array and sort it using the built-in sort method, but with a custom Comparator...
define your own comparator (see the API) for your Contact class, which calculates its results by simply comparing the surnames.
See http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/j...rt.html?page=2 for more details