Odd bug

[simon.black325]

So I wrote this program, the instructions are in the code, and it has the oddest bug that I can't figure out how to fix! When it runs and compiles, when it gets to the isSingle() and isWord() methods, it just prints out "Please enter a single word" and then skips to the next methods!

So I wrote the isSingle() method out as a separate program and ran it, and it works fine!?

Why won't it run correctly in my actual program?

Thanks!

Separated out:

 
import java.util.Scanner;

public class Single
{
	Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in);

	public void isSingle()
	    {
	        String single;

            System.out.println("Please enter a single word");
            single = keyboard.nextLine();

            String[] tokens = single.split("\\s+");

            boolean doSingle = true;
            while (doSingle == true)
            {
                if (tokens.length == 1 )
                {
                    System.out.println(single);
                    doSingle = false;
                }
                else
                {
                    System.out.println("You must enter only one word.");
                    System.out.println("Please enter one word.");
                    single = keyboard.nextLine();
                    tokens = single.split("\\s+");
                }
            }
       }

       public static void main(String[] args)
       {
		   Single single = new Single();
		   single.isSingle();
	   }
   }

And here it is in the whole program. Note: isWord() method is/does the same thing as isSingle()

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Echo
{
    /** 
     * Main should:
     *     - Create a Scanner object to get keyboard input
     *     - Create an Echo object and pass the constructor the Scanner
     *     - Call the Echo's "begin" method
     * Needs: 
     *     - A field initialized in the constructor
     *     - A method that: 
     *              - Ask the user for a line of text, echo it back        
     *              - Ask the user for a line of text containing 3 words separated by spaces, echo it back
     *                with each word on its own line
     *              - Ask the user for an integer number, echo it back
     *              - Ask the user for a single word, echo it back
     *              - Ask the user for a real number (with a decimal point), echo it back
     *              - Ask the user for a single word, echo it back
     */
   
    Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in);                              // Create scanner object

            public void isPhrase()
            {
                String phrase;                                               // To hold the user's phrase
               
                System.out.println("Hello, my name is Echo.");
                System.out.println("Please enter a sentence longer than three words"); 
                phrase = keyboard.nextLine();                                // Saves user input as String phrase
            
                String[] tokens = phrase.split(" ");

                boolean doPhrase = true;
                while(doPhrase == true)
                {
                    if(tokens.length > 3)
                    {
                        for (String p : tokens)
                            System.out.print(p + " ");
                    doPhrase = false;
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        System.out.println("Must be a phrase sentence longer than three words");
                        System.out.println("Please enter a sentence longer than three words");
                        phrase = keyboard.nextLine();
                        tokens = phrase.split(" ");
                    } 
                } 
            }
            
            public void isThree()
            {
                String three;

                System.out.println("\nNow enter 3 words separated by spaces");
                three = keyboard.nextLine();                                // Saves user's input as String phrase 

                String[] tokens = three.split(" ");                        // Split token method prints string one 
           
                boolean doWhile = true;
                while (doWhile == true)            
                {
                    if (tokens.length == 3)
                    {
                    for (String t : tokens)                                     // line at a time 
                        System.out.println(t); 
                    doWhile = false;
                    }
                    else 
                    { 
                        System.out.println("Must be only 3 words");
                        System.out.println("Please enter 3 words");
                        three = keyboard.nextLine();
                        tokens = three.split(" ");
                    }
                } 
            }
    
            public void isNumber()
            {
                int number;

                System.out.println("Please enter an integer number.");

                 boolean doThis = true; 
                 while (doThis == true)
                 {
                     if (keyboard.hasNextInt()) 
                     {                             
                          number = keyboard.nextInt();  
                          System.out.println(number);  
                          doThis = false;
                     }   
                     else 
            	     {
            		    System.out.println("Not an int, try again");                          // Echo user's number back if it is an int
                        System.out.println("Try again");
                        keyboard.nextLine();
            	     }   
                 }
            }

            public void isSingle()
            {    
                String single;

                System.out.println("Please enter a single word");
                single = keyboard.nextLine();
                
                String[] tokens = single.split("\\s+");
                
                boolean doSingle = true;
                while (doSingle == true)
                {   
                    if (tokens.length == 1 )
                    {
                        System.out.println(single);
                        doSingle = false;
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        System.out.println("You must enter only one word.");
                        System.out.println("Please enter one word.");
                        single = keyboard.nextLine();
                        tokens = single.split("\\s+");
                    }
                } 
            }

            public void isDecimal() 
            {
                double decimal;

                System.out.println("Please enter a real (decimal) number");
                
                boolean doDouble = true;
                while (doDouble == true)
                {
                    if (keyboard.hasNextDouble())
                    {
                        decimal = keyboard.nextDouble();
                        System.out.println(decimal);
                        doDouble = false;
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        System.out.println("You must enter a decimal number.");
                        System.out.println("Please enter a real (decimal) number.");
                        keyboard.nextLine();
                    }
                }
            }

            public void isWord()
            {
                String word;

                System.out.println("Please enter a single word");
                word = keyboard.nextLine();                               // Saves user's word in String phrase 

                String[] tokens = word.split("\\s+");

                boolean doWord = true;
                while (doWord == true)
                {
                    if (tokens.length == 1)
                    {
                        System.out.println(word);
                        doWord = false;
                    } 
                    else
                    {
                        System.out.println("You must enter only one word.");
                        System.out.println("Please enter only one word.");
                        word = keyboard.nextLine();
                        tokens = word.split("\\s+");
                    }      
                }      
            }
            
            public static void main(String[] args) 
            {
                Echo echo = new Echo();
                echo.isPhrase();
                echo.isThree();
                echo.isNumber();
                echo.isSingle();
                echo.isDecimal();
                echo.isWord(); 
            }
}

[Fubarable]

Your problem is with the method prior to isSingle, namely "isNumber()":

   public void isNumber() {
      int number;

      System.out.println("Please enter an integer number.");

      boolean doThis = true;
      while (doThis == true) {
         if (keyboard.hasNextInt()) {
            number = keyboard.nextInt();
            System.out.println(number);
            doThis = false;
         } else {
            System.out.println("Not an int, try again"); 
            System.out.println("Try again");
            keyboard.nextLine();
         }
      }
   }

And the problem is specifically with this line:

number = keyboard.nextInt();

Here your Scanner object, keyboard, gets the nextInt available to it, but it doesn't handle the end of line token which is "swallowed" the next time keyboard.nextLine() is called, and this occurs in the isSingle method. Thus when keyboard.nextLine(); gets called in isSingle() it handles the dangling end of line token which is present, and doesn't give you a chance to enter any text or press return.

There are several solutions available. The simplest I think is to call keyboard.nextLine() after you get the int so the Scanner object can handle the end of line token. This would change your isNumber method to something like so:

   public void isNumber() {
      int number;

      System.out.println("Please enter an integer number.");

      boolean doThis = true;
      while (doThis == true) {
         if (keyboard.hasNextInt()) {
            number = keyboard.nextInt();
            [color="red"][b]keyboard.nextLine(); // *** this swallows the EOL token ***[/b][/color][b][/b]
            System.out.println(number);
            doThis = false;
         } else {
            System.out.println("Not an int, try again"); 
            System.out.println("Try again");
            keyboard.nextLine();
         }
      }
   }

Another way to handle this is to use keyboard to only get nextLine and either parse the line yourself for int or double, or use another Scanner object to parse the returned String.

[DarrylBurke]

nextInt() doesn't consume the newline at the end of the input. That remains in the buffer and gets consumed at the next call to nextLine.

db

Note to self: refresh the page before posting, especially after tracking down a cross poster

[sunde887]

When using a boolean variable in some condition you should not be using ==(this won't cause the problem, it's just a problem I notice). == returns boolean, so a boolean variable being compared to another boolean variable is a waste. If you are testing a variable is true, simply type

boolean b = true;
if(b){ ... }

for false, you use the negation operator '!'

boolean b = false;
if(!b){ ... }

[simon.black325]

Ah, that makes sense! And that fixed it! I was thinking it had to be something with the tokens, but I kept changing the wrong part.

Thanks so much!

[simon.black325]

When using a boolean variable in some condition you should not be using ==(this won't cause the problem, it's just a problem I notice). == returns boolean, so a boolean variable being compared to another boolean variable is a waste. If you are testing a variable is true, simply type

boolean b = true;
if(b){ ... }

for false, you use the negation operator '!'

boolean b = false;
if(!b){ ... }

Oh ok, thanks for the tip! This is my first Java class, so I still have a lot of problems with syntax.