newbee cant find string

[scott hanson]

In my mock library you can check for a title to borrow(this works),and return "if" you have a book to return.I can check a string in an object(!"".equals(book1.getTitle())).Cant figure out how to check for title if book is borrowed (borrowed object is book object with getTitle method).
???if (!"".equals(patron1.getBorrowed1()))???Im very newbee-ish,Need something like this,I think,maybe,well...er.Something that workd though.

package mypackage;
   
import TerminalIO.KeyboardReader;
       
public class Patron
{
  private String name;              // Patrons name
  private Book borrowed1;           // book1
  private Book borrowed2;           // book2
  private Book borrowed3;           // book3
        
  public Patron()                   //constructor #1
  {
    name = "";
    borrowed1 = new Book();
    borrowed2 = new Book();
    borrowed3 = new Book();
  }
     
  public Patron(String na, Book b1, Book b2, Book b3)
  {
    name = na;
    borrowed1 = b1;
    borrowed2 = b2;
    borrowed3 = b3;
  }
   
  public Patron(Patron p)             // additional constructor 
  {                                   // initalize name and books borrowed
    this(p.name, p.borrowed1, p.borrowed2, p.borrowed3); 
    //to match those in the parameter p.
  }
      
  public void setName(String nm)
  {
    name = nm;                 //Set a patrons name
  }
      
  public String getName()
  {
    return name;               //get a patrons name
  }
      
  public void setBorrowed1(Book b1)
  {
    borrowed1 = b1;           //borrowed1
  }
       
  public void setBorrowed2(Book b2)
  {
    borrowed2 = b2;           //borrowed2
  }
       
  public void setBorrowed3(Book b3)
  {
    borrowed3 = b3;            //borrowed3
  }
       
  public void setBorrowed(Book b1, Book b2, Book b3)
  {
    borrowed1 = b1;                          //borroweed1-3
    borrowed2 = b2;
    borrowed3 = b3;
  }
       
  public Book getBorrowed1()
  {
    return borrowed1;
  }
      
  public Book getBorrowed2()
  {
    return borrowed2;
  }
     
  public Book getBorrowed3()
  {
    return borrowed3;
  }
     
  public String toString()
  {              //Construct and return a string representation of the book
    String str;
    str = "Name: " + name + "\n \n Borrowed book 1 \n" + borrowed1 +
        "\n \n Borrowed book 2 \n" + borrowed2 +
        "\n \n Borrowed book 3 \n" + borrowed3;
    return str;
  }
}
}
}

package mypackage;
 
import TerminalIO.KeyboardReader;
        
public class Book
{
  private String title, author;       //declare data
      
  public Book()                      //construct book to null
  {
    this("", "");
  }
      
  public Book(String ti, String au)   //construct to input data
  {
    title = ti;
    author = au;
  }
     
  public Book(Book b)               // additional constructor 
  {                                 // initalize title and author
    this(b.title, b.author);           //to match those in the parameter b.
  }
     
  public void setTitle(String ti)
  {
    title = ti;
  }
     
  public String getTitle()
  {
    return title;
  }
    
  public void setAuthor(String au)
  {
    author = au;
  }
     
  public String getAuthor()
  {
    return author;
  }
     
  public String toString()
  {
    String str;      //Construct and return a string representation of the book
    str = "\n \t Title: " + title + "\n \t" + "Author: " + author;
    return str;
  }
} 

package mypackage;
   
import TerminalIO.KeyboardReader;
     
public class LibraryInterface
{
  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    Book book1 = new Book();                   // Instantiate 3 books
    Book book2 = new Book();
    Book book3 = new Book();
    Book book4 = new Book();                   //return book attempt?
           
    Patron patron1 = new Patron();             // Instantiate 3 patron
    Patron patron2 = new Patron();
    Patron patron3 = new Patron();
      
// ect...
       
    if (!"".equals(book1.getTitle()))     //show valid title 1, if valid enter
    {
      System.out.println(book1 + "\n");
      System.out.println("To borrow " + book1.getTitle() + ": Enter 1\n\n");
    }
// ect....
       
    System.out.println("Return by entering choice please:");
        
    char areturn;
    // THIS DOESNT WORK HOW DO I CHECK IF A TITLE EXISTS //
    if (!"".equals(patron1.getBorrowed1()))    //show valid title to enter ???
    {
      System.out.println(patron1.getBorrowed1() + "\n");
      areturn = reader.readChar("To return enter 1\n");
      if (areturn == '1')
      {
        System.out.println("Returned book: " + patron1.getBorrowed1() + "\n\n\n\n");
        book1 = patron1.getBorrowed1();
        patron1.setBorrowed1(book4);//poor way to blank without messing with a new book1 in stock.
        areturn = '2';
        choice--;
        borrowed--;
        stock++;
      }
    }

\\my libraryinterface is a huge newbee(helloworld last fall)mess, Hope I pulled the relevant code.thankyou
ps no error message just incorrect results
[ edited to format code and to preserve formatting using the [code] and [/code] UBB tags -ds ]
[ February 28, 2004: Message edited by: Dirk Schreckmann ]

[David Peterson]

I haven't tried to understand your code, but just from the first few lines of your message, is this what you need:

if (!"".equals(patron1.getBorrowed1()[B].getTitle()[/B]))

[David Peterson]

You might also like to look at some of the Java collections classes in the java.util.* package, and consider using a List or Set to hold the books.