HeadFirst Java code

[JavaJimme]

Somebody read the book Head First Java? I can't seem to let the code beginning to work.
It's page 145-155 were I'm stuck, all the lines seems to work except one part, here is are the codes.
I'm sorry for this noob question but I'm stuck on this for days!

Main:

import java.util.*;



public class DotComBust {


    
    


        
        private GameHelper helper = new GameHelper();
        private ArrayList<DotCom> dotComsList = new ArrayList<DotCom>();
        private int numOfGuesses = 0;
        
        
        private void setUpGame(){
            DotCom one = new DotCom();
            one.setName("Pets.com");
            DotCom two = new DotCom();
            two.setName("eToys.com");
            DotCom three = new DotCom();
            three.setName("Go2.com");
            dotComsList.add(one);
            dotComsList.add(two);
            dotComsList.add(three);
            
            System.out.println("Your goal is to sink three dot coms.");
            System.out.println("Pets.com, eToys.com, Go2.com");
            System.out.println("Try to sink them all in the fewest number of guesses");
            
            for (DotCom dotComToSet : dotComsList){  //repeat with each DotCom in the list.

                ArrayList<String> newLocation = helper.placeDotCom(3);   //Ask the helper for a DotCom location (an ArrayList of Strings).
                
                dotComToSet.setLocationCells(newLocation);  //call the setter method on this DotCom to give it the location you got from the helper.
                
            }//close for loop
            
            }//close setUpgame method
            
        
        private void startPlaying(){
            
            while (!dotComsList.isEmpty()){
                
                String userGuess = helper.getUserInput("Enter a guess");
                checkUserGuess(userGuess);
            } //close while
            finishGame();
        } //close startPlay methode
        
        
        private void checkUserGuess(String userGuess){
            numOfGuesses++;
            String result = "miss";
            for(DotCom dotComToTest : dotComsList){
                result = dotComToTest.checkYourself(userGuess);
                if (result.equals("hit")){
                    break;
                }
                if (result.equals("kill")){
                    dotComsList.remove(dotComToTest);
                    break;
                    }
            }// close for
        } //close methode
        
        
    
        private void finishGame(){
            System.out.println("All Dot Coms are Dead! Your stock is now worthless.");
            if(numOfGuesses <= 18){
                System.out.println("It only took you " + numOfGuesses + "guesses.");
                System.out.println(" You got out before your options sank.");
            }else {
                System.out.println("Took you long enough. "+ numOfGuesses + " guesses.");
            
            System.out.println("Fish are dancing with your options");
        
        }    //end else
} //end methode
    
    
    
    
    
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        DotComBust game = new DotComBust();
        game.setUpGame();
        game.startPlaying();
    } //close methode
    
    
}// end class

Methodes:

import java.util.ArrayList;

public class DotCom {
    
private ArrayList<String>locationCells;
private String name;
    
    public void setLocationCells(ArrayList<String> loc){
        locationCells = loc;
}
    public void setName(String n){
        name = n;
}


    
    public String checkYourself(String userInput){
        String result = "Miss";
        
        int index = locationCells.indexOf(userInput);
        if (index >=0){
            locationCells.remove(index);
        
        if (locationCells.isEmpty()){
            result = "kill";
            System.out.println("Ouch! You sunk "+name + "      : (");
            }else{
                result = "hit";
            } //close if
        }//close if
        return result;
    } //close methode
} //close class

Gamehelper:

import java.io.*;import java.util.*;




public class GameHelper {


    private static final String alphabet = "abcdefg";
    private int gridLength = 7;
    private int gridSize = 49;
    private int [] grid = new int [gridSize];
    private int comCount = 0;
    
    public String getUserInput (String prompt){
        String inputLine = null;
        System.out.println(prompt + " ");
        try{
            BufferedReader is = new BufferedReader(
                new InputStreamReader(System.in));
                inputLine = is.readLine();
                if (inputLine.length() == 0) return null;
        }catch (IOException e){
            System.out.println("IOException: " + e);
        }
        return inputLine.toLowerCase();
    }
    
//     method, placeDotCom, takes an int as a parameter, and returns an ArrayList of Strings  
     public ArrayList<String> placeDotCom(int comSize) {                  
        // declare ArrayList alphaCells  
        ArrayList<String> alphaCells = new ArrayList<String>();  
        // declare an array to hold the coordinates, size is equal to comSize  
        String [] alphacoords = new String [comSize];        
        // declare a string to be used for concatenation  
        String temp = null;                                 
        // declare an array to hold candidate coordinates  
        int [] coords = new int[comSize];                    
        // counter to keep track of how many attempts  
        int attempts = 0;                                    
        // if success is true, that means it's a good place to hide the "dot com"   
        boolean success = false;                             
        int location = 0;                                  // current starting location  
          
        // comcount is one of the member variables. It keeps track of how many dot coms are placed  
        comCount++;                                        // nth dot com to place  
          
        // this section says to place the dot com vertically if it's on an odd number  
        int incr = 1;                                      // set horizontal increment  
        if ((comCount % 2) == 1) {                         // if odd dot com  (place vertically)  
          incr = gridLength;                               // set vertical increment  
        }  
      
        // this while loop figures out where in the array to place the dot com...  
        // ... it keeps going until success == true, or until it searches 200 times  
        while ( !success & attempts++ < 200 ) {             // main search loop  (32)  
        location = (int) (Math.random() * gridSize);      // get random starting point  
            //System.out.print(" try " + location);  
        int x = 0;                                        // nth position in dotcom to place  
            success = true;                                 // assume success  
            while (success && x < comSize) {                // look for adjacent unused spots  
              if (grid[location] == 0) {                    // if not already used  
                 coords[x++] = location;                    // save location  
                 location += incr;                          // try 'next' adjacent  
                 if (location >= gridSize){                 // out of bounds - 'bottom'  
                   success = false;                         // failure  
                 }  
                 if (x>0 & (location % gridLength == 0)) {  // out of bounds - right edge  
                   success = false;                         // failure  
                 }  
              } else {                                      // found already used location  
                  // System.out.print(" used " + location);    
                  success = false;                          // failure  
              }  
            }  
        }                                                   // end while  
      
        // this section takes the successful find and turns it into coordinates for the game  
        int x = 0;                                          // turn good location into alpha coords  
        int row = 0;  
        int column = 0;  
        // System.out.println("\n");  
        while (x < comSize) {  
          grid[coords[x]] = 1;                              // mark master grid pts. as 'used'  
          row = (int) (coords[x] / gridLength);             // get row value  
          column = coords[x] % gridLength;                  // get numeric column value  
          temp = String.valueOf(alphabet.charAt(column));   // convert to alpha  
            
          // add the coordinate to the arraylist  
          alphaCells.add(temp.concat(Integer.toString(row)));  
          x++;  
      
          // System.out.print("  coord "+x+" = " + alphaCells.get(x-1));  
            
        }  
        // System.out.println("\n");  
          
        return alphaCells; // send the arraylist back to be used by the game  
       }      
}

Eclipse seems to compile everything except one part of the main code:

for (DotCom dotComToSet : dotComsList){                


                ArrayList<String> newLocation = helper.placeDotCom.(3);
                
                dotComToSet.setLocationCells(newLocation);
                
            }//close for loop
            
            }//close setUpgame method

The .placeDotCom(3); is underscored with red, and can't compile I did everything exactly the same as in the book, running it on version 5.0 but it just doesn't seem to work. Can somebody please help me I'm stuck on this for days!

[pbrockway2]

ArrayList<String> newLocation = helper.placeDotCom.(3);

That line doesn't make a lot of sense. What is it supposed to do?

[JavaJimme]

ArrayList<String> newLocation = helper.placeDotCom.(3);

That line doesn't make a lot of sense. What is it supposed to do?

Thats the only part were I get an error with Eclipse, if that part of code is fixed it should work.
I edited that part of code in the post with some // commments to be more clear.
It's suppose to ask the helper for a DotCom location(an ArrayList of Strings)

[pbrockway2]

Then the general syntax to use is <instance>.<method>(<arguments>). Ie the second "dot" in the expession you used shouldn't be there.

[DarrylBurke]

Since the problem isn't IDE-specific, I've moved the thread here from the Eclipse section.

db

[JavaJimme]

Then the general syntax to use is <instance>.<method>(<arguments>). Ie the second "dot" in the expession you used shouldn't be there.

Thank you for your reply and sorry for wrong section, I was abit in a hurry when I posted.
Anyway that "dot" I must have typed it by mistake when I was copy pasting this code cos it wasnt there in the original code.

So placeDotCom(3) is still underscored with red, but eclipse says: The method placeDotCom(int) is undefined for the type GameHelper. Why? :((((

[wsaryada]

I have try to compile your code and it compile successfully. Maybe you can clean up you eclipse work space and try compile it again.

[JavaJimme]

I have try to compile your code and it compile successfully. Maybe you can clean up you eclipse work space and try compile it again.

Thanks for trying that out, seems its my eclipse after all, I did project>clean if you meant that. And it's still underscored with red... Makes me crazy :(

[JavaJimme]

Ah I just solved the mystery :) I had 2 GameHelper classes in 2 different projects and the one that had the correct code was in another project.. Jesus how noob of me :( Thanks for the tip for checking out the eclipse workspace, I thought it was the code that made the error until I read your post ;)