Empty String

[gnawk]

This is just a part of a program

When my code asks me
Enter diamond size ("short", "average", or "tall"):
how do i make it so that if i don't put anything and press enter it asks me exactly same questions again??

i tried putting
input.length() == 0 or input.equals("") or input == null but none of them seems to work

import java.util.Scanner;
public class Pattern 
{
    public static void main(String[] args) 
    {

        Scanner kb = new Scanner(System.in);
        String input;
        String character;
      
        do 
        {
            System.out.print("Enter diamond size (\"short\", \"average\","); 
	        System.out.print(" or \"tall\"): ");
            input = kb.next().toLowerCase();
        }
        while (checkSize(input) == -1 || input.length() == 0);
        do 
        {
            System.out.print("Enter pattern character: ");
            character = kb.next();
        } 
        while (character.length() > 1);
      
          char ch = character.charAt(0);
      
          displayPattern(checkSize(input), ch);
    }
    public static int checkSize(String size) 
    {
        if (size.equals("short"))
	{
            return 6;
        }
        else if (size.equals("average")) 
        {
            return 12;
        }
        else if (size.equals("tall")) 
	    {
            return 22;
        }
 
        return -1;
    }

[mwr1976]

.isEmpty() method. look it up in the API in the String class.
Java Platform SE 7

[gnawk]

i added it inside the public static int checkSize(String size)

also isn't isEmpty same as .length() == 0??
else if (size.isEmpty())
{
return -1;
}

but it doesn't really do anything.. evertime i press enter it would just go down to next line and not ask the questions again

[mwr1976]

You still have to build in the logic for it to ask the question again.

if(String.isEmpty())
{
ask question again.
}

else
{
go on or do something else
}

It doesn't know to ask the question again unless you build in the logic to do so.

[gnawk]

Scanner kb = new Scanner(System.in);
        String input;
        String character;
       
        do
        {
            System.out.print("Enter diamond size (\"short\", \"average\","); 
            System.out.print(" or \"tall\"): ");
            input = kb.next().toLowerCase();
        }
        while (checkSize(input) == -1);
        do
        {
            System.out.print("Enter pattern character: ");
            character = kb.next();
        } 
        while (character.length() > 1);
       
          char ch = character.charAt(0);
       
          displayPattern(checkSize(input), ch);
    }
    public static int checkSize(String size) 
    {
        if (size.equals("short"))
    {
            return 6;
        }
        else if (size.equals("average")) 
        {
            return 12;
        }
        else if (size.equals("tall")) 
        {
            return 22;
        }
        [B]else if (size.isEmpty())
        {
        	return -1;
        }[/B]
        return -1;
    }

doesn't that return -1 when string is empty?? and since in my do while if it returns -1 it would ask the question again

[mwr1976]

No, its not correct. You need to debug and step through your method. Its not a good idea to have so many return statements. You should declare a variable and assign the correct value to it given a certain condition and then return that variable. If you debug it you'll see where your error is.

[pbrockway2]

doesn't that return -1 when string is empty?

Yes, it does. The best way to check is by adding a line of code to your main method:

public static void main(String[] args)   
{
    System.out.println(checkSize(""));
    Scanner kb = new Scanner(System.in);
    // etc

-----

Which leaves you with the question: so why isn't the question being repeated? It would be repeated were checkSize() being called with an empty string as the argument. So, ... is it ever called? Again, add some code to see what happens:

do
{
    System.out.print("Enter diamond size (\"short\", \"average\","); 
    System.out.print(" or \"tall\"): ");
    input = kb.next().toLowerCase();
    System.out.println("Input is -->" + input + "<--");
    System.out.println("About to end the loop and check the size");
}
while (checkSize(input) == -1 || input.length() == 0);
// etc

[gnawk]

.......................omg i just fixed the issue and all i had to do was
input = kb.nextLine().toLowerCase();
wow.... this really made me sit in front of my computer for 6 hrs looking at this

[javin.paul]

One Suggestion that you should consider using Enum for fixed set of inputs like "short", "average", or "tall". This will help you to build more robust program which will not break with any typo in code like comparing with "tal".