Checking for two strings in array at the same time

[veronique]

Here is my problem. I have a String array:

String[] array = {"Entry engineer name is Alex",
"Junior engineer name is Bob",
"Senior engineer name is Jacob",
"Principal engineer name is Steve"}

I have a method that checks if two strings are present together in one of the array elements. Basically check that "Junior" and "Bob" is present in one element "Junior engineer name is Bob".

Basically this is the calls I need to check:

isTextPresentInArray(array, "Junior", "Bob"); //should return true
isTextPresentInArray(array, "Bob"); // should return true
isTextPresentInArray(array, "Entry", "Bob"); //should return false


This is as far as I got in the implementation:

boolean isTextPresentInArray(String[] array, String... text) {
boolean result = false;
for(String entry : array) {
for (int i = 0; i < text.length; i++) {
result = entry.contains(text[i]);
} // end of inner loop
if(result) {
return true;
} // end of outer loop
return false;
}

This is as far as I got and I think all the calls should work except last one where it will return true whereas it should return false. How do I fix this to work?

thanks!
Veronique

[sunde887]

Removed post

[veronique]

not sure how to format it here for easier reading

boolean isTextPresentInArray(String[] array, String... text) {
  boolean result = false;
  for(String entry : array) {
    for (int i = 0; i < text.length; i++) {
      result = entry.contains(text[i]);
    } // end of inner loop
    if(result) {
      return true;
    } // end of outer loop
  return false;
}

[pbrockway2]

... (too slow)

[sunde887]

I re read your code, disregard what I said in the previous post. I'll look over it some more and see if I can see what's wrong.

[veronique]

adding missing bracket:

boolean isTextPresentInArray(String[] array, String... text) {
  boolean result = false;
  for(String entry : array) {
    for (int i = 0; i < text.length; i++) {
      result = entry.contains(text[i]);
    } // end of inner loop
    if(result) {
      return true;
    } // end of outer loop
  return false;
 }
}

[sunde887]

Your error is because it checks the second element in the array, it doesn't contain entry so it sets the flag to false, then it checks the second element for bob, which it does contain, it sets the flag to true, then it performs the condition test outside the inner loop and returns true. If the first element doesn't exist, should you check the second?

[veronique]

Ah I see where you are going with that. So we just add if(!result) return false; after result = entry.contains(text[i]); call to fix this?

Probably no need to check for second element when first is not present.

[sunde887]

Sort of, you don't want to return false until you have checked every element. If the first element isn't found it may be better to break out of the loop.

[veronique]

got it. Thanks! I will test this out.

[sunde887]

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

If you are not done, feel free to ask more questions.