private String[] convertStringToArray(String stringIn, String separators){
// separate string into list depending on separators
List<String> tempList = Arrays.asList(stringIn.split(separators));
// create a new pre-populated array based on the size of the list
String[] itemsArray = new String[tempList.size()];
// convert the list to an array
itemsArray = tempList.toArray(itemsArray);
return itemsArray;
}