Reading files JAVA

[dienesh77]

I have this text file composed of this:
20110504
Stephen harper,160.0,20.0,20.0
Carole,160.0,20.3,10.0
Bob,260.0,20.0,500.0

How can I make it so that it can read from Stephen Harper(completely skip over "20110504" ?

Thank you

[sunde887]

Do you know the line you want to skip is going to be the first line in the file? If you do, just read the line but don't do anything with it.

[Junky]

Are you sure it is supposed to be skipped. Looks suspiciously like a date.

You could always test the first char of the line read. If a letter: process it, else if it is a number: ignore it.

[dienesh77]

How do I make it so that it doesn't do anything for the first line?

This is what i got so far:
while(trace != null) {
String[]a = trace.split(",");
name[i] = (a[0]).trim();
normalhoursworked[i] = Double.parseDouble((a[1]).trim());
overtimehoursworked[i] = Double.parseDouble((a[2]).trim());
bonusPaid[i] = Double.parseDouble((a[3]).trim());

System.out.println(normalhoursworked[i]+" "+ overtimehoursworked[i] +" "+bonusPaid[i]+" "+name);
i++;
trace = buffer.readLine();
}

[dienesh77]

I get this error when i run it:

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: 1
at ReadPayroll.readDate(ReadPayroll.java:32)
at ReadPayroll.main(ReadPayroll.java:17)

[dienesh77]

Yes the first line is the date.
How can I ignore the first line, Im having trouble with that part.

[sunde887]

You get that error because you are reading in the first line and splitting it which only creates an array of one item, you then try to access array indexes which do not exist. As I suggested, you can swallow the first line if you know the first line is the one you are skipping, if you do not know it's the first one, junky gave you a good suggestion.

Also, junky is right, it sure looks like a date, are you sure you don't want to parse it into one?

[dienesh77]

I know for a fact it is the first line I am skipping.
should I be using if(trace.charAt(0) ??? ) I dont know how to test it if its a number conveniently. I can write one long if statement checking charAt(0) to all the numbers from 0 to 9. Is there a shorter way to do this?

How can integrate in the while loop to parse only the first line?

Sorry Im just really new to java :(

[Junky]

I dont know how to test it if its a number conveniently.

Check the Character class.

[sunde887]

How do you extract trace? Whatever you are reading with just call readline and don't do anything with it, then start the loop. You can also use a Boolean to test if it's the first item being scanned, this may be a bit too challenging for you.

[dienesh77]

Im getting this error:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: 1
at ReadPayroll.readDate(ReadPayroll.java:35)
at ReadPayroll.main(ReadPayroll.java:18)

[dienesh77]

I Parsed the first line and it still wont do what I want it to do :(

[sunde887]

Before getting the value of trace add a line which reads a line, but does nothing with it.

[dienesh77]

OMG Thank you Sunde887 !!! YOUR THE BEST!!!

[sunde887]

You as welcome, please mark your thread solved with the thread tools at the top of the page if you are done.