Try/Catch Class Scope Issue

[bnshrdr]

I typically don't develop in java but the program I want to develop a plugin for gives me no choice :P

The problem I am having arises from me trying to use a variable from another class that was assigned in a Try/Catch block.

The code for the initial class is below:

public class RepairMe extends JavaPlugin
{
	//Listener Classes
	private final playerListener playerL = new playerListener(this);
	//Database variables
	public IniLib props;
	public InputStream in;
	
	public RepairMe(PluginLoader pluginLoader, Server instance, PluginDescriptionFile desc, File plugin, ClassLoader cLoader)
	{
		super(pluginLoader, instance, desc, plugin, cLoader);
		registerEventHooks();
	}
	
	private void registerEventHooks() 
	{
		getServer().getPluginManager().registerEvent(Event.Type.PLAYER_COMMAND, playerL, Priority.Normal, this);
	}
	
	public void onDisable()
	{
		System.out.println("RepairMe v1.0 Disabled");
	}
	
	public void onEnable()
	{
		//Initialization
		 props = new IniLib();
		 in = null;
		 
		//Try to load RepairMe.ini
		try {
			in = new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream("RepairMe.ini"));
			props.load(in);
		} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
			System.out.println("Error finding RepairMe.ini");
			getServer().getPluginManager().disablePlugin(getServer().getPluginManager().getPlugin("RepairMe"));
			return;
		} catch (IOException e) {
			System.out.println("Error loading RepairMe.ini");
			getServer().getPluginManager().disablePlugin(getServer().getPluginManager().getPlugin("RepairMe"));
			return;
		}		
		System.out.println("RepairMe v1.0 Enabled");
	}	
}

Then this is essentially how I am calling it from another class:

public class playerListener extends PlayerListener 
{
    //private final RepairMe plugin;
    IniLib props;
    
    public playerListener(RepairMe instance)
    {
        //plugin = instance;
        props = instance.props;
    }

    ....SNIP.....
	@Override
	public void onPlayerCommand(PlayerChatEvent event)
	{
        ....SNIP....
				[B]recipe = props.getProperty(item.getType().name(), "recipe");[/B]
				if (recipe != null)
					player.sendMessage(recipe);
				else
					player.sendMessage("No exisiting recipe");

I am getting a NullPointerException on the "recipe=" line and can only assume the scope of the props variable is getting truncated.

Does anyone see any blatantly obvious mistake I've made. I'm just not a Java programmer and HATE exceptions haha. Guess I'm anti OO haha.

Thanks!

[Fubarable]

I am getting a NullPointerException on the "recipe=" line and can only assume the scope of the props variable is getting truncated.

What do you mean by "scope is getting truncated"? As I've never heard this before and it makes no sense. Usually a scope problem will cause a compiler error not a run-time exception (unless you are shadowing the variable of interest without realizing it). I don't think that this is a scope issue but rather you are trying to call a method or get a field from a variable that is null, pure and simple. Walk back from the exception and see where you supposedly initiate the null variable.

[bnshrdr]

Well I don't know how it is getting to be null. If I call the same method right after setting props in the try/catch block, it works successfully.

So since it is obviously not null in the RepairMe class, I fear that this really narrows it down to a scope issue since it is read as null from another class.

If you could look at how I declared the variables in the RepairMe class, am I accessing them in a legal way outside of the class? Again, I am no java guru, but have enough programming experience to kind of shove me along.

Thanks for taking a look!

[Fubarable]

And are you sure which variable is null on that line? Are you sure that it's not the item variable or its type? Have you done System.out.println's to check this? It looks like you need to do some serious debugging here. Luck.

[bnshrdr]

I have checked the return of item.getType().name(), which is not null. But props is returning null.

What it comes down to is I have no idea why props is null, even though I am passing the class instance to the new class.

[Fubarable]

I have checked the return of item.getType().name(), which is not null. But props is returning null.

What it comes down to is I have no idea why props is null, even though I am passing the class instance to the new class.

Frankly neither do I. I think that the solution lies in doing some aggressive debugging either with a debugger or with the poor-man's debugger (println statements). Luck.

[Tolls]

Have a look and see if you have either redeclared a props variable in that method, thus hiding the attribute, or if you are reinstantiating props and it's failing.

The code you have shown us is not your problem. Your problem is in the code you are not showing us.

[bnshrdr]

I did finally come across a solution.

What I was doing was declaring the new class in the first class by using this statement:

Newclass nc = new Newclass(this);

Thus calling the constructor of the new class immediately, so the variable was actually null. Just learning things as I go, thx guys.