Help with a error message desparate

[Chewart]

hey guys im getting an error message with my code and was just wondering if you could help me out? its sayin <identifier> expected on

private ArrayList<DirectoryTest> entries = new ArrayList<DirectoryTest>();

that line

public class Directory
{

    private ArrayList<DirectoryTest> entries = new ArrayList<DirectoryTest>();

    public void add(DirectoryTest entry)
    {
      entries.add(entry);
    }

[Fubarable]

I wonder if your compiler is finding the class, DirectoryTest. It almost looks as though you have things backwards, that you should have a class Directory, and then in another class, DirectoryTest, have an ArrayList<Directory>.

[Chewart]

hey Fubarable im not quite understanding fully this is the first time ive used arraylists

[Fubarable]

You show us a part of your Directory class, but to better help me answer this question, please post your DirectoryTest class.

[Chewart]

that is what i have Fubarable hope you can help dude

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

public class Directory
{
   
    
    private ArrayList<DirectoryTest> entries = new ArrayList<DirectoryTest>();

    public void add(DirectoryTest entry)
    {
      entries.add(entry);
    }
    
    public ArrayList<DirectoryTest> getEntries()
    {
      return entries;
    }

    public String findNumber(String firstName, String lastName)
    {
      DirectoryTest entry = findEntry(firstName, lastName);

      return entry == null ? null : entry.getNumber();
    }

    public void updateNumber(String firstName, String lastName, String number)
    {
      DirectoryTest entry = findEntry(firstName, lastName);

      if (entry == null)
      {
        throw new IllegalArgumentException("The Entry is not found");
      }

      entry.setNumber(number);
    }

    private DirectoryTest findEntry(String firstName, String lastName)
    
      for (DirectoryTest entry : entries)
      {
        if (entry.getFirstName().equalsIgnoreCase(firstName);
          && entry.getLastName().equalsIgnoreCase(lastName));
        {
          return entry;
        }
      }  
  
}

[Fubarable]

The biggest thing that jumps out at me as a possible error is that your class above is written assuming that there is another class, DirectoryTest, but that it doesn't exist.

Again, does it exist?

Again, can you show me its code?

[Chewart]

no it doesnt exist at the moment i just wanted to get this one sorted before movin on to my directorytest program was i wrong to declare it in the arraylist without it existing then? if so what could i replace it with? string or something like that?

[Fubarable]

Well the first thing you need to know is the generic argument must exist, at least as an interface if not a class before you can use it. So if I declare an arraylist like so:

ArrayList<Foo>  fooList = new ArrayList<Foo>();

There needs to be a class Foo that is reachable by the the compiler for this to work just as much as if I simply declared a Foo object:

Foo myFoo = new Foo();

So my suggestion: use a class that exists as your generic parameter.

[JosAH]

no it doesnt exist at the moment i just wanted to get this one sorted before movin on to my directorytest program was i wrong to declare it in the arraylist without it existing then? if so what could i replace it with? string or something like that?

Even if that DirectoryTest class doesn't exist your compiler wouldn't have issued that error message; what is the reported version of your compiler when you type "javac -version"?

kind regards,

Jos

[Chewart]

so even tho i havent finished my directory class program should i produce another program called directorytest just so that my program compiles? sorry i a complete newbie to java ive only bin doing this 3 months

[JosAH]

so even tho i havent finished my directory class program should i produce another program called directorytest just so that my program compiles? sorry i a complete newbie to java ive only bin doing this 3 months

Can you answer my question? (see my reply #9).

kind regards,

Jos

[Chewart]

hey JosAh im using j2sdk1.4.2_19

[Fubarable]

good pickup JosAh. You need to compile at 1.5 or higher. Currently you're compiling with the Java compiler set at 1.4.

[JosAH]

hey JosAh im using j2sdk1.4.2_19

That's your real problem: your compiler is too old; it can't compile generic classes. Upgrade your JDK installation.

kind regards,

Jos

[JosAH]

good pickup JosAh. You need to compile at 1.5 or higher. Currently you're compiling with the Java compiler set at 1.4.

Yep, the error message itself was the giveaway: the compiler didn't even syntactically recognize the construct; otherwise it would've whined something about not being able to resolve DirectoryTest to a type; now it was just gibberish to the compiler.

kind regards,

Jos

[Chewart]

ive got a laptop is ther a way on the cmd to find out what version of java i have on my laptop?

[JosAH]

ive got a laptop is ther a way on the cmd to find out what version of java i have on my laptop?

Most likely the version of your Java JVM is the same as the version of your compiler; to be sure type "java -version" for the JVM version and "javac -version" for the version of your compiler.

kind regards,

Jos

[Chewart]

ok ive put my work onto my laop wher i have the java 5 version. im only gettin one error message now on line 40 which is

  private DirectoryTest findEntry(String firstName, String lastName)
    
      for (DirectoryTest entry : entries)
      {

and its sayin that ; is expected but i cnt see it

[Fubarable]

Looks like you may be missing a curly brace?

  private DirectoryTest findEntry(String firstName, String lastName) { // **** this curly brace here?
    
      for (DirectoryTest entry : entries)
      {

[Chewart]

ive ammended it but styill getting errors another 2 =( im not giving up on this program i know with some guidence icould do this.. heres where my errors after puttin a { on the programs are ahppenin

   private DirectoryTest findEntry(String firstName, String lastName)
    
      for (DirectoryTest entry : entries)
      {
        if (entry.getFirstName().equalsIgnoreCase(firstName);
          && entry.getLastName().equalsIgnoreCase(lastName));
        {
          return entry;
        }
      }  
  
}

  if (entry.getFirstName().equalsIgnoreCase(firstName);

) expected apparently and

&& entry.getLastName().equalsIgnoreCase(lastName));

"&&" illegal start of expression