what is "identifier expected" error?

Hi everyone,
I've been working on java for around 2 months...I have a very basic doubt...when do you get the error <identifier> expected?
I've written a small application where input is accepted by a textfield and based on some condition a dialog should be displayed saying "invalid i/p".But am not able to correct ths particular error,so pls some one help me out here.
Thanks in advance.
Thejaswini.

Be sure all your semicolons are in place. Otherwise, I suggest that you post the lines of code around the line specified in the error message.

Ok...here is the code:

public class Message {
  public static JFrame frame = null;
  public static JOptionPane oPane = null;
  public static JTextField field = null;
  public static JButton button = null;
  public static JPanel panel = null;
 
  JPanel panel = new JPanel();
  panel.setLayout(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT));//identifier needed
  JTextField field = new JTextField(15);
  panel.add(field);                                //identifier needed
  JButton button = new JButton("SEND");
  panel.add(button);                               //identifier needed
 
  button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {  //identifier needed
    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent en) {
      String str = field.getText();
      StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(str, ";");
      if(st.countTokens == 0) {
  System.out.println("its ok");
      } else {
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame, " Its not ok");
      }
    }
  });
 
  
 
  private static void createAndShowGUI() {
    JFrame.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true);
 
    JFrame frame = new JFrame("frame");
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    Message mes = new Message();
    frame.setContentPane(panel);
 
    frame.pack();
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
 
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
createAndShowGUI();
      }
    });
  }
 
}

[ January 06, 2006: Message edited by: thejaswini ramesh ]

You cannot put code directly into the class body. Your method calls need to be inside a method, constructor or static/instance initializer.

Sounds like you most likely should make all the fields and the createAndShowGUI method non-static and put the initialization into a constructor.

It's an import problem. Either you haven't imported these classes or the jar is not found. Please check this.

Originally posted by Ilja Preuss:
You cannot put code directly into the class body. Your method calls need to be inside a method, constructor or static/instance initializer.

Sounds like you most likely should make all the fields and the createAndShowGUI method non-static and put the initialization into a constructor.

Oh yeah! That too..

Thank you Ilja & Stuart

The problem was a combination of what both of you suggested.I had forgotten some of the imports plus the initialization was not in a constructor.Yup now i managed to correct these.

Thanks once again.
Thejaswini.

Originally posted by Stuart Ash:

Oh yeah! That too..

I have to admit that I missed it on the first scan, too...

This seems to be a frequent problem (code outside a method) around here. I would have never thought to put code outside of a method so I almost always fail to notice that mistake in other code. Guess I should start noticing it.

_M_

Originally posted by Mike Noel:
This seems to be a frequent problem (code outside a method) around here. I would have never thought to put code outside of a method so I almost always fail to notice that mistake in other code. Guess I should start noticing it.

_M_

But you can have such code in static or instance initializer blocks remember.

Brandon Valdez,
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