Equals doesn't equal!

[MetalR0]

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.

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);

[yellowledbet]

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

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

		return counter;

[MetalR0]

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.

[yellowledbet]

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

[MetalR0]

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

[DarrylBurke]

Also, never compare booleans to true/false.

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

db

[chipp]

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

[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:

if (true == true) {
}

Which is pointless.

[DarrylBurke]

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

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.");

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.

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

db

[Rami]

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

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

[Tolls]

Because it should be:

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.

[Rami]

Because it should be:

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.

Convinced me with this one!