Please Help explain my assignment!!!

[Norm]

Now add a constructor to the class using the order of values as shown in the code you posted from your main.

when you have defined that you should be able to compile the main program and execute the 4 tatements you posted to see if that part works.

How do I referrence the instance variables from the methods I create in my Vehicle class?

You don't have any methods yet. There won't be any problem for the methods in the class to access the class variables.

[gnarkill10]

This is my Vehicle class, I dont even have the guts to compile it...

public class Vehicle  
{
	private String type;
	private String make;
	private String colour;

	//Constructor method same name as the class
	public Vehicle(String car){
	  type = car;
	}

	public String getType(){
		return type;
	}
	
	public void text(){
		System.out.println("The type of vehicle is a %s\n", getType());
	}


}

and this is what I have done so far with the main...

  public static void main(String[] args)
  {

    //make instances of different vehicles (these are the vehicle objects)
    Vehicle carVehicle = new Vehicle("car", "Ford", "red");
    Vehicle textObject = new Vehicle.text(); //Added this for testing, dont know if its right though, I know that I have to tell the computer that I want this specific method from this specific class.

    Vehicle truckVehicle = new Vehicle("truck", "Nissan", "green");
    Vehicle busVehicle = new Vehicle("bus", "Mercedes", "white");
    Vehicle motorBikeVehicle = new Vehicle("motorbike", "Honda", "silver");

[Norm]

The class needs a constructor.

text isn't a useful name for a method. A method name should be a verb describing what it does.

What is the purpose of the code on line 6?

[gnarkill10]

oh I thought that was a constructor

public Vehicle(String car)
{      
  type = car;    
}

ok ill go way and do a little more research. Yeh the purpose of that code on line 6 is because I wanted to see if I could print out.

The type of vehicle is a car

[gnarkill10]

Ok so I have got the following code however im getting an error when I compile test.java "cannot find symbol"

Vehicle.java

public class Vehicle  
{
	private String type;
	private String make;
	private String colour;

	//Constructor method same name as the class for type
	public static void Vehicle(String type, String make, String colour)
	{		
		System.out.printf("The type of vehicle is a %s\n" + type);
		System.out.printf("and the make is %s\n" + make);
		System.out.printf("and the colour is %s\n" + colour);	
	}
}

test.java

class test{
	public static void main(String[] args)
	{
		Vehicle carVehicle = new Vehicle("car", "Ford", "red");
	}
}

[Norm]

im getting an error when I compile test.java "cannot find symbol"

Please post the full text of the error message.

You need a constructor in the last posted code.
Hint: constructors do not have a return type and are not static

[gnarkill10]

never mind that error, and thank you, moving on. Question: I thought I would need to identify this>>>

System.out.printf("The type of vehicle is a %s\n" + type);        
System.out.printf("and the make is %s\n" + make);        
System.out.printf("and the colour is %s\n" + colour);

Within the Vehicle.java class. Because the main was given to us I thought we would not be able to edit it, Im pretty sure that the main is where the display text needs to go though. Is this right?

[Norm]

the main is where the display text needs to go though.

I'm not sure what you are asking. Is main a method? What class is it in?

So show the contents of the Vehicle class, I'd add a method that prints out the contents of the class's variables.

Instead of an image, copy and paste the contents of the command prompt window:
Click on Icon in upper left corner
Select Edit
Select 'Select All' - The selection will show
Click in upper left again
Select Edit and click 'Copy'
Paste here.

[gnarkill10]

woooh its working, wow I need sleep!!! It was basically just a syntax error. Derrrr.

I just need to work out how to implement the Insertion sort now. XD so excited/mega tired, must not sleep. Coffee time.

[gnarkill10]

Having problems with my insertion sort, I have the insertion sort working with numbers. However stuck on how I should implement the strings from my code. Also where I need to include the compareTo method.

My working code for insertion sort:

/**
   The IntInsertionSorter class provides a public static
   method for performing an insertion sort on an int array.
*/

public class insertionSort
{

   /**
      The insertionSort method performs an insertion sort on
      an int array. The array is sorted in ascending order.
      @param array The array to sort.
   */

   public static void insertionSort(int[] array)
   {
      int unsortedValue;  // The first unsorted value
      int scan;           // Used to scan the array
      
      // The outer loop steps the index variable through 
      // each subscript in the array, starting at 1. This
      // is because element 0 is considered already sorted.
      for (int index = 1; index < array.length; index++)
      {
         // The first element outside the sorted subset is
         // array[index]. Store the value of this element
         // in unsortedValue.
         unsortedValue = array[index];
         
         // Start scan at the subscript of the first element
         // outside the sorted subset.
         scan = index;
         
         // Move the first element outside the sorted subset
         // into its proper position within the sorted subset.
         while (scan > 0 && array[scan-1] > unsortedValue)
         {
            array[scan] = array[scan - 1];
            scan--;
         }
         
         // Insert the unsorted value in its proper position
         // within the sorted subset.
         array[scan] = unsortedValue;
      }
   }
}

My working Test file:

/**
   This program tests the insertionSort method in the
   IntInsertionSorter class.
*/

public class insertionSortTest
{
   public static void main(String[] args)
   {
      // Create an int array with test values.
      int[] values = { 5, 1, 3, 6, 4, 2 };
      
      // Display the array's contents.
      System.out.println("Original order: ");
      for (int element : values)
         System.out.print(element + " ");
      
      // Sort the array.
      insertionSort.insertionSort(values);

      // Display the array's contents.
      System.out.println("\nSorted order: ");
      for (int element : values)
         System.out.print(element + " ");
         
      System.out.println();
   }
}

[Norm]

Did you do the experiments with the compareTo() method to see how it worked?
The look at how to use compareTo() with two Strings vs > with two ints.