Using replace properly (word censor program)

[James Sands]

Hi, me again! - I just thought you could have a look through this - I like the whole "dont tell me the answer but learn" philosophy, so point me in the right direction.

My desired output to this compiling code is "p----", but as you can see I am frustratingly still getting "panda".

I think I'm not interpreting the String replace API correctly, but as I'm now getting frustrated - I will ask for a hand! Thank you!

class Program {
    public static void main (String [] args){
        
        ArrayList<Character> gl = new ArrayList<Character>();
        char one = 'p';
        char two = 'q';
        gl.add(one);
        gl.add(two);
        String pgr = "panda";
        int x = 0;
        int y = 0;
        
        while(x < gl.size()){
            if(gl.get(x) == pgr.charAt(y)){              
                y++;}
            else{pgr.replace(pgr.charAt(y),'-');
                 y++;}
        	if(y == pgr.length()){
               x++;
               y=0;
            }
        }
       System.out.println(pgr);
    }
}

[Paul Clapham]

James Sands wrote:I think I'm not interpreting the String replace API correctly, but as I'm now getting frustrated - I will ask for a hand! Thank you!

Yes, where the API documentation says

Returns a new string resulting from replacing all occurrences of oldChar in this string with newChar.

I think you missed the first four words.

[Junilu Lacar]

Remember, Strings are immutable. That means they can never change. The replace method returns another String that is the result of replacing characters in the String that you called the replace method on. In other words, when you call pgr.replace(...), pgr does not change. You have to assign the result of replace() to something.

Another suggestion, while you're taking them: Try to give better variable names. When someone reads your code, do the names "x", "y", "pgr" help them make any sense of what's happening? It's like reading a sentence that goes something like this: "One dy, our grdnr, Bthlmw, dcded he wntd to mrry our tchr, Miss Lsbth." --- this is kind of hard to understand, right? Your code should tell the reader a story of what's happening. Well-written code is about telling people what's going on. The computer could care less because it knows what to do regardless of what name you give.

[James Sands]

Loving that - learning now learning!!

I see a stringbuilder replace method maybe better for me, I'll do some alterations and tell you how I get on!

Million thanks! James.

[Campbell Ritchie]

If you don’t like StringBuilder (which is a very useful class once you get used to it), remember you can get the individual chars out of the String as an array with one of the String class’ methods.

[Ivan Jozsef Balazs]

Junilu Lacar wrote:Try to give better variable names.

One can however argue for short names for local variables of a short scope.

[James Sands]

Where a little help gets you on CodeRanch!:

import java.lang.*;
import java.util.*;

class Program {
    public static void main (String [] args){
        System.out.println("Game that's nothing like Hangman, really");
        System.out.println("Guess a letter!");
        System.out.println("(c) 2012 GReaper Productions");
        
        int arrayElementPointer = 0;
        ArrayList<Character> gl = new ArrayList<Character>();
        StringBuffer theWord = new StringBuffer("panda");
        int lives = 10;
        while(lives != 0){   
        Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
        String playerGuess = sc.next();
        char convertToChar = playerGuess.charAt(0);
        gl.add(arrayElementPointer, convertToChar);
            
            int wrongGuessCheck = 0;
            int repeatCheck = 0;
            for(int j = 0; j < theWord.length(); j++){
                if(convertToChar != theWord.charAt(j)){
                    wrongGuessCheck++;}
                if(wrongGuessCheck == theWord.length()){
                    System.out.println("NOPE, NOT THERE! LOSE A LIFE");
                    lives--;
                    System.out.println("You have " + lives + " left!");
                    wrongGuessCheck = 0;
                                       }
            }
            
            for(int k = 0; k < gl.size() ; k++){
            if(convertToChar == gl.get(k)){
                    repeatCheck++;}
                   if(repeatCheck >= 2){
                System.out.println("You've already used that!");
                System.out.println("HOW SILLY!, lose a life!!");
                System.out.println("You have " + lives + " left!");
                       repeatCheck = 0;
                   }
            }
                 
        int charInWord = 0;
        int charGuessed = 0;
        int mistakesCount = 0;
        
        while(charInWord < theWord.length()){
                if(theWord.charAt(charInWord) == gl.get(charGuessed)){
                    System.out.print(theWord.charAt(charInWord));
                    charInWord++;
                    charGuessed=0; }
                else {charGuessed++;}
                if(charGuessed == gl.size()){
                    System.out.print("-");
                    charInWord++;
                    charGuessed=0;
                    mistakesCount++;
                }         
            } //ends while loop 
        arrayElementPointer++;
      System.out.println(" You have used:" + gl);
            if(mistakesCount !=0){
                System.out.println("Guess Again!");
                mistakesCount = 0;}
            else if(mistakesCount == 0){
                System.out.println("YOU WON! The word was: " + theWord);}
            if(lives == 0){
                System.out.println("YOU LOSE! The word was: " + theWord + "  ...Doofus");}
    	}
	}
}

Thanks, without those little hints I wouldn't have got this far!

[Junilu Lacar]

James, that's a good start

Your code reads a lot better and I can actually make out the "story" you are trying to tell here. Now, like any good composition, it needs to be broken down into smaller chunks, like paragraphs and chapters and parts. See how you have everything in main()? This is where most people start but soon you'll learn that main() should only be like the preface of a story. The "meat" of the code should be in full-fledged objects, and different sections of the code should be assigned to different objects, each with their own responsibility. Not saying you have to do it now. You'll eventually realize this as you learn more about different object-oriented programming concepts. Good job and good luck!

[James Sands]

Hi people, well Junilu - your wish is my command. I have had a go. Good news, compiles and runs - Bad news I think it's a little messy. Especially with the way I create the player object into the arraystore class and then having to "double reference" my objects in main (e.g as.p.playerguess). Any thoughts or concepts I am missing to tidy up even further?

Thanks again, James.

import java.lang.*;
import java.util.*;

class WordGen{
	String [] list = {"apple", "banana", "cherry", "donkey"};
	int randomNum = (int) (Math.random() * 4);
	String selectedWord = (list[randomNum]);
	StringBuffer theWord = new StringBuffer(selectedWord);
	}
	
class Player{
	
	int lives = 10;
    char playerGuess;
    
    public char getPlayerGuess(){
		Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
		String s = sc.next();
		playerGuess = s.charAt(0);
        return playerGuess;
		}
}

		
class ArrayStore{
    
    Player p = new Player();
    
	int arrayElementPointer = 0;
	int mistakesCount = 0;
	ArrayList<Character> gl = new ArrayList<Character>();
	
	public void getChar(char playerGuess){
		gl.add(arrayElementPointer, playerGuess);
		arrayElementPointer++;
		}
	
	public void checkTheWord(StringBuffer theWord){
		int charInWord = 0;
		int charGuessed = 0;
		
		while(charInWord < theWord.length()){
                if(theWord.charAt(charInWord) == gl.get(charGuessed)){
                    System.out.print(theWord.charAt(charInWord));
                    charInWord++;
                    charGuessed=0; }
                else {charGuessed++;}
                if(charGuessed == gl.size()){
                    System.out.print("-");
                    charInWord++;
                    charGuessed=0;
                    mistakesCount++;
                }         
            } //ends while loop 
		}
	
	public void checkForRepeat(char playerGuess, int lives){
		int repeatCheck = 0;
		
		for(int k = 0; k < gl.size() ; k++){
            if(playerGuess == gl.get(k)){
                    repeatCheck++;}
                   if(repeatCheck >= 2){
                System.out.println("You've already used that!");
                System.out.println("HOW SILLY!, lose a life!!");
				p.lives--;
                                      
                       System.out.println("You have " + p.lives + " lives left!");
                       
					   repeatCheck = 0;
                   }
            }
		}
	
	public void checkForWrongGuess(StringBuffer theWord, int lives, char playerGuess){
		
		 int wrongGuessCheck = 0;
            int repeatCheck = 0;
            for(int j = 0; j < theWord.length(); j++){
                if(playerGuess != theWord.charAt(j)){
                    wrongGuessCheck++;}
                if(wrongGuessCheck == theWord.length()){
                    System.out.println("NOPE, NOT THERE! LOSE A LIFE");
                    p.lives--;
                    System.out.println("You have " + p.lives + " left!");
                    wrongGuessCheck = 0;
                     }     
				if(p.lives == 0){
                System.out.println("YOU LOSE! The word was: " + theWord + "  ...Doofus");
				break;	}
       }
	}
		
		public void checkForWin(int mistakesCount, StringBuffer theWord){
			System.out.println(" You have used:" + gl);
            if(mistakesCount !=0 && p.lives != 0){
                System.out.println("Guess Again!");
                mistakesCount = 0;}
            else if(mistakesCount == 0){
                System.out.println("YOU WON! The word was: " + theWord);
				}				
            
				}
			}

class Program{
	public static void main(String [] args){
		System.out.println("Game that's nothing like Hangman, really");
        System.out.println("Guess a letter!");
        System.out.println("(c) 2012 GReaper Productions");
		
		WordGen w = new WordGen();
		System.out.println("There are " + w.theWord.length() + " letters in this word");
		
		
		ArrayStore as = new ArrayStore();
			while(as.p.lives != 0){
			 if(as.p.lives == 0){
            as.checkForWrongGuess(w.theWord,as.p.lives, as.p.playerGuess);
                    break;}
            as.p.getPlayerGuess();
            as.getChar(as.p.playerGuess);
			as.checkForRepeat(as.p.playerGuess,as.p.lives);
			as.checkTheWord(w.theWord);
			as.checkForWrongGuess(w.theWord,as.p.lives, as.p.playerGuess);
			if(as.mistakesCount==0){
                    as.checkForWin(as.mistakesCount, w.theWord);
                    break;}
                as.checkForWin(as.mistakesCount, w.theWord);
            as.mistakesCount=0;
			}
		}	
   }

[Wendy L Gibbons]

Ivan Jozsef Balazs wrote:

Junilu Lacar wrote:Try to give better variable names.

One can however argue for short names for local variables of a short scope.

Nope you can't the only exception is I for loop control