How can I iterate through a list and use the values as labels or assigned names when instantiating a variable?

Zuckerbrenner :

If a user inputs a list of strings, I want to be able to iterate through that list and for each string in that list use that as a label for a variable. For example: User enters ["one", "three", "myVar"]. I want to instantiate a variable with name of "one", another one with the name of "three", etc. So I can have something like Integer one = 23; or String three = "hello"; How would I go about doing this in Java?

Tom Hawtin - tackline :

This would be pointless. To use the variables in the code you'd need to know what the user had entered. (Hacks like reflection aside.)

Almost certainly what you want is a Map keyed on the String entered. You still have the problem of the type of the maps value, which will depend upon exactly how you are going to use it.