Unusual null pointer error

[PRW56]

im relatively new to java and understand what a null pointer exception is, but cannot figure out what is causing it, error is caused by line of code after comment.

here is code:

import java.util.Random;
import java.util.Scanner;
public class CardGame21
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in);
        Random r = new Random();
        boolean game=true,a1,a2;
        char blah;
        int players=1;
        int[] card = new
        while(game==true)
        {
            System.out.println("Welcome to the game of blackjack!");
            a1=true;
            a2=true;
            while(a1==true)
            {
                System.out.println("Select number of computer players players.");
                players=scan.nextInt();
                if(players<1)
                {
                    System.out.print("!INVALID SELECTION!");
                    System.out.println("\n");
                }
                else
                {
                    a1=false;
                }
            }
            /*System.out.println("Would you like to go first(Y) or it to be random(N)?");
            blah=System.in.read(); System.in.read();
            */
            Player[] player = new Player[players];
            while(a2==true)
            {
                System.out.println("Cards have been dealt!");
                System.out.print("\n");
                for(int x=0;x<players;++x)
                {
// next line is cause of error
                    player[x].setCard(0,(r.nextInt(13)+1));
                    player[x].setCard(1,(r.nextInt(13)+1));
                }
                System.out.println("You recieved a "+player[0].getCard(0)+" and a(n) "+player[0].getCard(1));
                a2=false;
                game=false;
            }
        }
    }
}


public class Player
{
    private int[] card = new int[10];
    public String getCard(int a)
    {
        String b="No card Assigned";
        if(card[a]==1)
        {
            b = ("Ace");
        }
        if(card[a]==11)
        {
            b = ("Jack");
        }
        if(card[a]==12)
        {
            b = ("Queen");
        }
        if(card[a]==13)
        {
            b = ("King");
        }
        if(card[a]>1&&card[a]<11)
        {
            b = (card[a]+"");
= ;        }
        return b;
    }
    public void setCard(int a,int b)
    {
        card[a]=b;
    }
}

any help would be greatly appreciated :)

//p.s. sorry about lack of indentation, when i copied and posted it went away

[sunde887]

Directly after

Player[] player = new Player[players];

Add this

for(int i = 0; i < players; ++i){
  System.out.println(player[i]);
}

[PRW56]

sorry for the delay, wouldnt that just print the address of the object or is it existing the thing were checking for...?
also since the error was there wouldn't i be unable to enter/ test the code

[sunde887]

I realized what your error was I just didn't want to give you the answer directly. Try adding that code and the problem should become quite clear.

[PRW56]

i know how that would be benificial to me but... i did something stupid, when i had this error i ended up using a multidimensional array for the players instead, it works fine, but i would still like to know what was the problem here, because i will have classes in the future where i will not be able to get around this, i.e. this code only exists on this site, when i try to copy it from here it all appears on one line, making it impossible to use, so pls just tell me the error... or how to copy it from this site...

[sunde887]

This snippet:

public class TestArray{
	public static void main(String[] args){
		String[] x = new String[5];
		for(int i = 0; i < x.length; ++i){
			System.out.println(x[i]);
		}
	}
}

produces an output of:

null
null
null
null
null

What do you think will happen if I try performing an operation on some element of this array? Your problem is the same as this one.

[PRW56]

kinda thought it would do that, but why? i had delcared.........OH SMACK! i was only declaring the array not the individual objects, thats why...

p.s. this is what i said as i read this just now.

[PRW56]

p.s.s. ty very much

[sunde887]

No problem. Ya, it was a small mistake, but it's always important to remember this.