The return value is either what the user typed in a text field (a String) or what the user picked from a list of options (an Object).
import javax.swing.JFrame; import javax.swing.JOptionPane; public class InputPopUps { public static void main(String[] a) { JFrame frame = new JFrame(); Object result = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(frame, "Enter printer name:"); System.out.println(result); } }