Illegal start?

[Martin vanPutten]

Why do I get an illegal start at public in getPrice()?

  /**
 * The class TicketMachine creates a ticket of a certain price. 
 * 
 * @author Anju Chawla
 * @version Sep. 19, 2006
 */
public class TicketMachine
{
 
    private int price ;
    private int balance;
    private int total;
    int score = 0;
    
    /**
     * The constructor creates/instantiates an object of a certain price
     * @param ticketCost an int to set the price of the ticket machine
     */
    public TicketMachine(int ticketCost)
    {
       
        if(ticketCost > 0 && ticketCost <= 5000)
        price = ticketCost ;
        else
        {
           
            System.out.println(" "); 
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            System.out.println("A negative price or a price greater than $50 was provided.\n Price set to $0 by default.");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            price = 0 ;
        
        }
        
        balance = 0;
        total = 0;
    
    }
    
    /**
     * The constructor creates a TicketMachine of $10.
     */
    public TicketMachine()
    {
        
        price = 1000;
        balance = 0;
        total = 0;
    
    }
    
    /**
     * Exercise 2.40
     */
    public void empty()
    {
        
        total = 0;
    
    }
    
    /** 
     * Exercise 2.42
     */
    int defaultPrice;
    
    public void specifyPrice(int newPrice)
    {
        
        defaultPrice = newPrice;
    
    }
    
    public void makeDefaultPrice()
    {
        
        price = defaultPrice;
    
    }
    
    /**
     * This methods sets the new price of the ticket machine
     * @param newcost the new price of the ticket machine in cents
     * @param password a String for the password 
     */
    public void setPrice(int newCost, String password)
    {
        
        if(password.equals("abc"))
        {
              
            if(newCost > 0 && newCost <= 5000)
            price = newCost ;
            else
            {
                
                System.out.println(" ");
                System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
                System.out.println("A negative price or a price greater than $50 was provided.\nPrice set to $0 by default.");
                System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
                price = 0 ;
            
            }
        
        }
        
        else
        {
            
            System.out.println(" "); 
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            System.out.println("Not authorised to change the price of the machine. Wrong password enetered.");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
    
        }
     
    /**
     * This methods returns the price of the ticket machine
     * @return the price of the ticket machine in cents
     */
    public int getPrice()
    {
        
        return price;
    
    }
    
    /** 
     * Exercise 2.31
     */
    public void increase()
    {
        
        int points;
        points = 5;
        
        if(balance >= price)
        {
            score = points + score;
            System.out.println(" "); 
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            System.out.println("You have just gained 5 extra points and collected a total of " + score + " points");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            printTicket();
            //System.out.println("You have just gained 5 extra points and collected a total of "+score+" points");
        
        }    
        
        if(balance < price)
        {  
            
            // score = 0
            System.out.println("");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            System.out.println("You need " + (price - balance) + " more cents to print this ticket");
            System.out.println("You have a total of " + score + " points");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            //  points = 5;
        
        }
    
    }
    
    /** 
     * Exercise 2.32 
     */
    public void discount(int amnt)
    {
        
        int price1 = 0;
    
        price1 = price - amnt;
        
        System.out.println("");
        System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
        System.out.println("You have been granted a discount of " + amnt);
        System.out.println("Coming to a final price of " + price1 + " cents");
        System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
        price= price1;
        
        if(balance < price)
        {
            
            System.out.println(" "); 
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            System.out.println("Please insert atleast " + price1 + " more cents to print your ticket.");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
        
        }
        
        if(balance >= price)
        printTicket();
        
    }
    
    /**
     * Exercise 2.33
     */
    public void promptUser()
    {
        
        if(balance < price)
        {
            
            System.out.println("");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            System.out.println("Please insert the correct amount of money, you need to insert " + (price - balance) + " more cents");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
        
        }
    
    }
     
    /**
     * Exercise 2.34
     */
    public void showPrice()
    {
       
        System.out.println("");
        System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
        System.out.println("The price of a ticket is " + price + " cents");
        System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
    
    }
    
    /**
     * This methods returns the price of the ticket machine
     * @return the amount already inserted by the customer in cents
     */
    public int getBalance()
    {
        
        return balance;
    
    }
    
    /**
     * This methods returns the total amount collected by the ticket machine
     * @return the total amount in cents in the ticket machine or -1 if not authorised to see the total
     * @param secretNumber an int for the number to be entered if authorized to see the total.
     */
    public int getTotal(int secretNumber)
    {
        
        if( secretNumber == 100)
        return total;
        else
        {
           
            // System.out.println("Not authorised to see the total.");
            return -1;
        
        }
    
    }    
    
    /**This method takes an amount from the customer
     * @param amount an int for the money inserted by the customer
     */
    public void insertMoney(int amount)
    {
        
        if(amount > -1)
        balance = balance + amount ;
        else
        { 
             
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
            System.out.println("Invalid amount inserted :" + amount + ". Amount ignored.");
            System.out.println("= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =");
        
        }   
        
       return;
   
    }
    
    /** 
     * Exercise 2.55
     */
    public int emptyMachine()
    {
        
        int theTotal;
        theTotal = total;
        total = 0;
        return theTotal;
   
    }
    
    /** 
     * Exercise 2.57
     */
    public void printTicket()
    {
      
        int amountLeftToPay;
        amountLeftToPay = price - balance;
        
        if(amountLeftToPay <= 0)
        {
        
            System.out.println(" ");
            System.out.println("=================================================================================");
            System.out.println("===============================================");
            //create an empty line
            System.out.println(" ");
            System.out.println("==================The BlueJ Line=================");
            System.out.println(" ");
            System.out.println("=====Ticket : " + price + " cents. =============");
            System.out.println(" ");
            System.out.println("================================================");
            System.out.println("=================================================================================");
            System.out.println(" ");
            
            total = total + price;
            balance =  balance - price;
        
        } 
        
        else
        {
            
            System.out.println(" ");
            System.out.println("You must insert at least " + (price - balance) + " cents more for the ticket.");
            System.out.println(" ");
         
        }
    
    }
     
    /**
     * Return the amount due, if any, to the customer.
     * Clear the balance.
     * @return the money refunded, in cents
     */
    public int refundBalance()
    {        
        
        int amountToRefund;
        
        amountToRefund = balance;
        balance = 0;
        return amountToRefund;
 
    } 
     
    /** 
     *Exercise 2.53
     */
    /*    
     * public int refundBalance()
     * {
     *    
     *    balance = 0;
     *    return balance;
     * 
     * }
     */
     
    /**
     * Exercise 2.54
     */
    /*   
     * public int refundBalance()
     * {
     *       
     *     return balance;
     *     balance = 0;
     *
     * }
     */
  
}  

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Because the closing brace of setPrice() is missing.

A good programmer's editor or IDE would point out this kind of problem very quickly. A simple editor that knows how to do Java code formatting would work well enough -- the missing brace would mess up the formatting.

[Keith Lynn]

Usually you get errors like that when there are mismatched braces or other problems with punctuation in the lines before the line where you get the error.

[Martin vanPutten]

I don't understand, doesn't it have a closing brace?

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Look at setPrice(). The last character that clearly belongs to it is indeed a closing brace; but it's the closing brace of an "else" clause. There should be another one to end the whole method.