Compile error message

[Becky Wilson]

I need help with a compiler message:
int cannot be dereferenced. Can anyone help with this?
Here is the code it is references:

decrypted = (index.charAt(0) - 7) + (index.charAt(1) - 7) + (index.charAt(2) - 7) + " " + (index.charAt(4) + 3) + (index.charAt(5)+ 3) + " " + (index.charAt(6) + 3) + (index.charAt(7) + 3) + (index.charAt(8) + 3) + (index.charAt(9) + 3);
//this is the calculation to decrypt the input and names it decrypted


Here is the actual compiler message:
int cannot be dereferenced

decrypted = (index.charAt(0) - 7) + (index.charAt(1) - 7) + (index.charAt(2) - 7) + " " + (index.charAt(4) + 3) + (index.charAt(5)+ 3)

the pointer is aimed at the . between the word index and charAt

[Jeff Bosch]

Hi, Becky -

It's possible the error occurred on the line before the snippet, or that decrypted is an int (though that should give a different error). Can you provide the declaration for decrypted and index? Maybe I can help if I see more.

Thanks.

[Amit Saini]

Hi,
You generally get this error if you are using the .operator on a primitive.
eg int i; i.(any function) will give you this error. Which is why you need to use wraper classes to perform those operations.

Whats the datatype of index?

-Amit

[Jeff Bosch]

I created the following test program from your code, and it worked fine:

class indexTest 
{
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    String index = "abcdefghij";
    String decrypted = (index.charAt(0) - 7) + (index.charAt(1) - 7) + 
     (index.charAt(2) - 7) + " " + (index.charAt(4) + 3) + 
     (index.charAt(5)+ 3) + " " + (index.charAt(6) + 3) + 
     (index.charAt(7) + 3) + (index.charAt(8) + 3) + (index.charAt(9) + 3);
     //this is the calculation to decrypt the input and names it decrypted

    System.out.println("index: " + index + " decrypted: " + decrypted);
  }
}

Could you have a typo in your source?