Equals doesn't equal!

This is just weird. The code in bold is a boolean that measures whether or not the String parameter and the String of the method are the same. I have tried using equals, startsWith and contains methods and all keep returning false when its true! Using my debugger, I've confirmed that on the 2nd iteration (when counter = 1) that both value and compare are MAT350. I know it. Eclipse knows it (even assigns both variables id = 37.) So why doesn't java know it?!?!?!? The chunk of code at the bottom is from the Junit test case.

Code:

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public class CourseList implements DiaryItemList {
        private static LinkedNode head;
       
        private class LinkedNode {
                private String name;
                private String daystimes;
                public DiaryItem data;
                public LinkedNode link;
               
                public LinkedNode(Course o, LinkedNode link) {
                        data = o;
                        this.link = link;
                        if(o != null){
                        this.name = o.getName();
                        this.daystimes = o.getDaysTimes();
                        }
                }
        }
       
public CourseList() {
                head = null;
        }
        public CourseList(String x){
                try {
                          Course temp = new Course();
                          FileReader from = new FileReader(x);
                          BufferedReader input = new BufferedReader(from);
                          String courseinfo = input.readLine();
                          StringTokenizer cl = new StringTokenizer(courseinfo);
                         
                          String coname = cl.nextToken();
                          temp.setName(coname);
                         
                          temp.setSection(cl.nextToken());
                          String startT = cl.nextToken();
                          startT = startT.replaceAll(":","");               
                          startT.trim();
                          int starter = temp.toMilitaryTime(startT);
                          if(starter >= 1200){
                                            startT = "" + startT + "PM";
                          }
                          else {
                                            startT = "" + startT + "AM";
                          }
                          temp.setStartTime(starter);
                          String endT = cl.nextToken();
                          endT = endT.replaceAll(":","");
                          endT.trim();
                          int ender =temp.toMilitaryTime(endT);
                                  if(ender >= 1200){
                                    endT = "" + endT + "PM";
                                  }
                                  else {
                                            endT = "" + endT + "AM";
                                  }
                          temp.setEndTime(ender);
                          String dayconvertor = cl.nextToken();
                          dayconvertor = dayconvertor.replace('H','Y');
                          dayconvertor = dayconvertor.replace('F','Z');
                          temp.setDays(dayconvertor);
                          courseinfo = input.readLine();
                          insertAtFront(temp);
                          System.out.print(temp); 
                  }
                  catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                                System.out.println("File classy.txt not found");
                  }
                  catch(IOException e) {
                                System.err.println("Exception in reading from file");
                  }       
        }

        public DiaryItem getItemAt(int index) {
                LinkedNode p = head;
                if(p == null)
                        return null;
                int counter = 0;
                while (p != null && counter != index){
                        p = p.link;
                        counter++;
                        }
                if(counter == index){
                        return (DiaryItem) p.data;
                }
               
                return null;
        }       

                public int indexOf(String value) {
               
                LinkedNode current = head;
                LinkedNode previous = null;
                String compare = current.data.getName();
                [B][U]boolean match = compare.startsWith(value);[/U][/B]
                int counter = 0;
                while(current != null && match == false) {
                        previous = current;
                        current = current.link;
                        compare = current.data.getName();
                        counter++;
                }       
                if(current != null && match == true) {
                        return counter;
                        }

                return counter;
        }
public void testIndexOf() {
                String Beta = B.getName();  // String = "MAT350"
                myList.addInNameOrder(A);
                myList.addInNameOrder(B);
                myList.addInNameOrder(E);
                int b = myList.indexOf(Beta);
                assertEquals("index of b should equal ", 1, b);

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what is the code below supposed to be doing? It appears that the match variable should be updating to break the loop.

Code:

---

        while(current != null && match == false) {
                        previous = current;
                        current = current.link;
                        compare = current.data.getName();
                        counter++;
                }       
                if(current != null && match == true) {
                        return counter;
                        }

                return counter;

---

You summed it up. The code should iterate through the declared objects until one with a name matching the parameter value is hit. The match boolean should then change to true and break the loop.

where within the loop are you comparing 'name matching value' and where are you updating match to break the loop? I think that is the problem

Oh I thought the boolean would just update on its own once the condition became true. Now I've got it. Thanks!

Also, never compare booleans to true/false.

Code:

---

// while(current != null && match == false) {
while(current != null && !match) {
:
:
}       
// if(current != null && match == true) {
if(current != null && match) {

---

db

why we can't compare boolean to true / false?

You can, but it's generalyl a sign you don't know what a boolean is.
Comparing one to true or false is like saying:

Code:

---

if (true == true) {
}

---

Which is pointless.

Why would you want to? and where would you stop?

Code:

---

boolean b = true;
if (b) System.out.println("b is true.");
if (b == true) System.out.println("b is true.");
if ((b == true) == true) System.out.println("b is true.");
if (((b == true) == true) == true) System.out.println("b is true.");
:
:
if ((((((((((b == true) == true) == true) == true) == true) == true) == true) == true) == true) == true) System.out.println("b is true.");

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Another very good reason to avoid the redundant '== true / false' is that is is possible to mistakenly omit one = resulting in an assignment instead of a comparison operator.

Code:

---

if (b = true) System.out.println("b is true now, regardless of the value it held before this line.");

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db

Yea but if you want to do
boolean b=//anything;
if (b==false) { System.out.println("b is false");}

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tolls

You can, but it's generalyl a sign you don't know what a boolean is.
Comparing one to true or false is like saying:

Code:

---

if (true == true) {
}

---

Which is pointless.

---

it's not like saying true==true .. this will get u a true just as when u say false==false..
true==false and false==true will get u a false..
I dont see the problem of using it

Because it should be:

Code:

---

if (!b) {
    System.out.println("b is false");
}

---

Anything else is redundant, and a good code analyser (which a lot of IDEs come with now) will rightly point it out to you.
Redundant code just clogs up your source.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tolls

Because it should be:

Code:

---

if (!b) {
    System.out.println("b is false");
}

---

Anything else is redundant, and a good code analyser (which a lot of IDEs come with now) will rightly point it out to you.
Redundant code just clogs up your source.

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Convinced me with this one!