abstract class

[Victoria Preston]

I am having a problem...I have to take a program I have already written and make it abstract. I thought I had it but it won't compile it doesn't like the following code.....

 public int compareTo(Employee anEmployee)
      {
         final int BEFORE = -1;
         final int EQUAL = 0;
         final int AFTER = 1;
      
         Employee temp = new Employee(); <------It doesn't like this line
         if ( temp == anEmployee )
         {
            return EQUAL;
         }
      
         if (employeeName.compareTo(anEmployee.employeeName)< 0)
         {
            return BEFORE;
         }
      
         if (employeeName.compareTo(anEmployee.employeeName) > 0)
         {
            return AFTER;
         }
      
         return EQUAL;
      }    

any tips would help

[Garrett Rowe]

I dont understand why you are instantiating a new Employee in your compareTo method at all.

Employee temp = new Employee(); 
if ( temp == anEmployee )//This line will never return true
{
   return EQUAL;
}

[Victoria Preston]

really....what should it say something like the following...

if (employeeName.compareTo(anEmployee.employeeName)= 0)    

[Garrett Rowe]

Originally posted by Victoria Preston:
really....what should it say something like the following...

if (employeeName.compareTo(anEmployee.employeeName)= 0)    

I believe that will achieve the result you intended, however remember '=' is for assignment and '==' is for comparison.

[Garrett Rowe]

Looking at this method again, you could actually trim it down to one line

public int compareTo(Employee anEmployee)
{
   return employeeName.compareTo(anEmployee.employeeName);
}

[Victoria Preston]

thanks alot.....that fixed that probelm....severl more to go.