BufferedReader continuous loop

[Gabriel White]

Hi yall, I have some code here that is giving me some problems.

 try
{
BufferedReader buffRead2 = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
    System.out.println("Want to search for your appointments (Y/N)? ");
searchName = (char)buffRead2.read();
while (searchName == 'Y' || searchName == 'y')
    {
System.out.println("Enter your last name to search: ");
myLastName = buffRead2.readLine();
this.searchAppointment(myLastName);

System.out.println("Want to search again (Y/N)? ");
//searchName = (char)buffRead2.read();
}   

I have declared searchName as a char local data type and myLastName as a String ""; local data object...both at the top of this method called getUserInput.

When the program asks the user to input the name that they want to search for in the Ragged array [months][days in that month] it just just doesn't seem to pass the myLastName into the searchAppointments method correctly.

Here is that code:

 public void searchAppointment(String lname)
{
String mm = "";
for (int row = 0; row < calendar.length; row++)
{
        for (int col = 0; col < calendar[row].length; col++)
{
String searchName = (calendar[row][col]);
if (searchName == lname)
{
col += 1;
switch (row)
{
case 0:
                            mm = "January";
                            break;
                        case 1:
                            mm = "February";
                            break;
                        case 2:
                            mm = "March";
                            break;
                        case 3:
                            mm = "April";
                            break;
                        case 4:
                            mm = "May";
                            break;
                        case 5:
                            mm = "June";
                            break;
                        case 6:
                            mm = "July";
                            break;
                        case 7:
                            mm = "August";
                            break;
                        case 8:
                            mm = "September";
                            break;
                        case 9:
                            mm = "October";
                            break;
                        case 10:
                            mm = "November";
                            break;
                        case 11:
                            mm = "December";
                            break;
                        default:
                            break;
}
        System.out.println(searchName + "appointment is " + mm + " " + col);
}
}
}
}
   

Thanks in advance.

[marc weber]

if (searchName == lname)...

Well, if you're comparing Strings, then you will want to use the equals method to compare the "contents" of the Strings, instead of a simple reference comparison (==).

if(searchName.equals(lname))...

(Also, you might consider String's compareToIgnoreCase method.)

[Gabriel White]

Thanks Mark, that was a total brain fart there. Can you see why I would be getting a null pointer exception when I call that?

I can print out every column and row and I can visually see the string object that is in the ragged array. It is just not picking it up.

I can see them when I do a SOP(calendar[row][col]);

weird.

[marc weber]

//ADD AT BEGINNING OF METHOD...
if(lname == null) {
    System.out.println("null passed in for lname");
}
 

//ADD BEFORE COMPARING STRINGS...
String searchName = calendar[row][col];
if(searchName == null) {
    System.out.println("null at " + row + ", " + col);
}