How to change variables from a method in a different class

[tomasmk]

Hi, Im making a game with bouncing balls, and I want a method inside a separate class to tell the main method the coordinates where to draw the balls on.
The thing is, im having some problems with finding a way to modify these values (x and y) from the different class and make them take effect in the main one.

So far I know only one way, which is to make methods inside the main class that modify the variables and call them from the accessory class, but it seems cumbersome and makes code harder to read.

Is there a better way to do this?

//for example:
public class balls(){

public static void main(String[] args){

class 2 behave = new class2();

int x = 2;
int y = 2;

for (int i = 0; i < 90;){
behave.newXandY();
drawtheball(x, y); //Ill avoid writing all the code for drawing it here

}
}
}



//this is not an inner class!

public class class2{

public void newXandY(){

x = x++;// here is the problem: this values of x and y wont affect the original values in the other class i want to use!
y = y++;
}
}

[Fubarable]

• I wouldn't use inner classes as you're doing. Rather each java file should be in its own class at this stage in your education.
• You'll need public getter and setter methods if you want to alter the state of a class.

[Cosmos]

i am just a newbie....but i think you should make the variables as public in the class balls

[tomasmk]

the class2 is not meant to be inner, its meant to be in its own file.
so your saying that the only option would be to invoke a method from class2, like this:

public class balls(){
 
public static void main(String[] args){


 
int x = 2;
int y = 2;

balls myballs = new balls();
class 2 behave = new class2();

for (int i = 0; i < 90;){

behave.newXandY();

drawtheball(x, y); //Ill avoid writing all the code for drawing it here
 
}
}

public void raiseX(){
x = x++;
}
public void raiseY(){
y = y++;
}

}
 
 
 
//this is not an inner class!
 
public class class2{
 
public void newXandY(){
 
myballs.raiseX();
myballs.raiseY();
}
}

this means that I must always produce all the changes i want in my class from methods inside that very class, and I can only "activate" them from an outer class, which is very inconvenient. At that point i could just go procedural and write all the instructions within that class, but im trying to learn OO here :/

[Iron Lion]

public void raiseX(){
x = x++;
}
public void raiseY(){
y = y++;
}

This doesn't do what you intend it to. If you want to increment x, just use x++ on its own. As it stands, x++ increments x but evaluates to the current value of x, which it then assigns to x and overwrites the incremented value.

[tomasmk]

k iron, thanks, do you know of any way to use x++ from outside the class that contains x?

[Solarsonic]

k iron, thanks, do you know of any way to use x++ from outside the class that contains x?

Make a method like so:

public void incrementX() {
x++;
}

And then call it from a different class:

(if it's a static, class variable)

ClassName.incrementX();

This is incrementing x for the class.

(if it's a local variable, like for an object)

ObjectName thing = new ObjectName();
thing.incrementX();

This is incrementing x for the individual "thing" object.

[tomasmk]

thanks Solar, i already knew that possibility, I made the thread to ask if there was some other more convenient way to do it, without having to fill the class with methods that target their own class

[Solarsonic]

thanks Solar, i already knew that possibility, I made the thread to ask if there was some other more convenient way to do it, without having to fill the class with methods that target their own class

How I said would be the best way to do it.