{
// uses componentsSeparatedByString but returns a Java array sized to the
// actual length of elements with each element trimmed of whitespace.
StringArray stringArray = componentsSeparatedByString(receiver, separator);
// size the StringArray to # of contained elements
stringArray.trim();
String[] strings = stringArray.array();
for (int index = strings.length - 1; index < -1; index--) {
String alternate = strings[index];
strings[index] = alternate.trim();
}