NullPointerException

[GPB]

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Main {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        [COLOR="Red"]Hangman method = new Hangman("Boat");[/COLOR]
        Scanner scan = new Scanner ( System.in );
        System.out.printf("===== H A N G M A N =====");
        while ( method.nextLetter() ) {
            System.out.printf("%n%s",method.status());
            System.out.printf("%nInput letter: ");
            String input = scan.nextLine();
            char ch = input.charAt(0);
            method.try(ch);
        }
        System.out.printf("%n%s",method.status());
    }
}

Hi, I'm new to Java. The following code gives a NullPointerException at the line marked red. I've searched through a couple of threads, but I'm still not really getting what the error means.

[JosAH]

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Main {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        [COLOR="Red"]Hangman method = new Hangman("Boat");[/COLOR]
        Scanner scan = new Scanner ( System.in );
        System.out.printf("===== H A N G M A N =====");
        while ( method.nextLetter() ) {
            System.out.printf("%n%s",method.status());
            System.out.printf("%nInput letter: ");
            String input = scan.nextLine();
            char ch = input.charAt(0);
            method.try(ch);
        }
        System.out.printf("%n%s",method.status());
    }
}

Hi, I'm new to Java. The following code gives a NullPointerException at the line marked red. I've searched through a couple of threads, but I'm still not really getting what the error means.

A constructor (of the Hangman class) can't return a null pointer; something else must be wrong. Show your code please.

kind regards,

Jos

[GPB]

Yeah, I've got a second NullPointerException:

package javaapplication2;

public class Hangman {
    
    private int tries;
    private String targetword;
    private StringBuffer guessword;
    
    public Hangman(String s) {
        doelwoord = s;
        int length = targetword.length();
        for ( int x = 0 ; x < length ; x++ ) {
            [COLOR="Red"]guessword.setCharAt(x,'.');[/COLOR]
        }
        tries = 10;
    }

Has it got something to do with the declaration of the guessword?

[Fubarable]

Yeah, I've got a second NullPointerException:
Has it got something to do with the declaration of the guessword?

You tell us. You have the error message with its line numbers.

[GPB]

Ehm.. If I knew what was wrong then I wouldn't need to ask here right? I have too errors,
The error message is:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException
at javaapplication2.Hangman.<init>(Hangman.java:22)
at javaapplication2.Main.main(Main.java:21)
Java Result: 1
which are the red lines in the above code.

[GPB]

Ok, never mind. I think I fixed it.

[JosAH]

Yeah, I've got a second NullPointerException:

package javaapplication2;

public class Hangman {
    
    private int tries;
    private String targetword;
    private StringBuffer guessword;
    
    public Hangman(String s) {
        doelwoord = s;
        int length = targetword.length();
        for ( int x = 0 ; x < length ; x++ ) {
            [COLOR="Red"]guessword.setCharAt(x,'.');[/COLOR]
        }
        tries = 10;
    }

Has it got something to do with the declaration of the guessword?

You don't have a StringBuffer guessword object yet, just a reference to such an object but the reference is still null. Change that declaration to:

private StringBuffer guessword= new StringBuffer();

... that way you declare your member variable guessword and initialize it at the same time. btw, learn to read those exception stacktraces: the first line mentions what exception was thrown, the next line mentions where it was thrown, the following line mentions the caller of that method and so on.

kind regards,

Jos

[Fubarable]

Ehm.. If I knew what was wrong then I wouldn't need to ask here right?

Yes, but you had information that we didn't have, namely the line numbers that the NPE fell on.

I have too errors,
The error message is:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException
at javaapplication2.Hangman.<init>(Hangman.java:22)
at javaapplication2.Main.main(Main.java:21)
Java Result: 1
which are the red lines in the above code.

Then you are correct, guessword is null when you are trying to dereference it. Solution: construct it before using it.

[GPB]

Yeah I figured it out as well, haha! It's good to know how to read the error though, thanks ;)