text formatting using java

[Ryan Speller]

ok stuck on this one and looking for help

before i say a word heres what I have so far and what I need to do:

    
import java.io.BufferedWriter;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileWriter;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintWriter;
import java.util.Scanner;
 
/**
 * Formatter - simple text formatting
 */
public class Formatter
{
    public static void exit(Scanner sc)
    {
        // Keep console window alive until 'enter' pressed (if needed).
        System.out.println();
        System.out.println("Done - press enter key to end program");
        String junk = sc.nextLine();
        System.exit(0);
    }
 
    /**
     * main - text formatting
     */
    public static void main (String[] args)
    {
        Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
 
        // Get maximum output column width for formatting
        int maxWidth = 0;
        System.out.println("Enter the output column width");
        do {
            maxWidth = sc.nextInt();
            sc.nextLine();
            if (maxWidth < 30 || maxWidth > 100) {
                System.out.println("Column size must be between 30 and 100...re-enter");
                maxWidth = 0;
            }
        } while (0 == maxWidth);
 

        // Get name of input text file to read and format, check it exists, and readable.
        System.out.println("Enter the name of the input text file");
        String textinName = null;
        Scanner textinScanner = null;
        do {
            textinName = sc.nextLine();
 
            File textinFile = new File(textinName);
            if (!textinFile.exists()) {
                System.out.println("File does not exist: " + textinName + " - re-enter");
                textinName = null;
                continue;
            }
            if (!textinFile.canRead()) {
                System.out.println("Unable to read from file: " + textinName + " - re-enter");
                textinName = null;
                continue;
            }
 
            try {
                if (textinName.equalsIgnoreCase("keyboard")) {
                    textinScanner = new Scanner(new File(textinName));
                }
 
            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                // Unexpected, as already checked for file existing
                System.out.println("Unexpected error: " + e.toString());
                continue;
            }
 
        } while (null == textinScanner);
 

        // Get name of the output file to write formatted text to, and open a file.
        System.out.println("Enter the name of the output file");
        String textoutName = null;
        do {
            textoutName = sc.nextLine();
 
            File textoutFile = new File(textoutName);
            if (textoutFile.exists()) {
                System.out.println("File already exists: " + textoutName);
                System.out.println("Do you want to overwrite this file (Y/N)");
                String yesno = sc.nextLine();
                if (yesno.toLowerCase().startsWith("n")) {
                    System.out.println("Re-enter output file name");
                    textoutName = null;
                    continue;
                }
            }
        } while (null == textoutName);
 
        // Open the output file for writing (or the console).
        PrintWriter textoutWriter = null;
        try {
            if (textoutName.trim().equalsIgnoreCase("console")) {
                textoutWriter = new PrintWriter(System.out);
            }
            else {
                textoutWriter = new PrintWriter(new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter(textoutName)));
            }
 
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.out.println(e.toString());
            exit(sc);
        }
 

        // Print a 'heading' of the maximum width for the output.
        // None of the output lines can exceed the width of this header line.
        
        
        // --- TODO - add your code to print a line of *'s to the output file
        // the maximum width of the output.
 

        // Read words from the input file, appending to the current line being built until
        // the line plus the newest word would exceed the output column width.
        // When the line is full, write it to the output file, and reset it to empty.
        // Continue until end of file encountered.
        String word = "";
        String line = "";
 
        while (textinScanner.hasNext()) {
            // Read next 'word' from input file
            word = textinScanner.next();
 
            // --- TODO - add your code to format and print lines to the output file ---
            // No output line can be longer than the heading line of *'s printed above.
        }
 

        // TODO - Print any partial last line.
 
        // Must flush buffers to output file (or console).
        textoutWriter.flush();
        textoutWriter.close();
 
        exit(sc);
    }
}
 

I think the comments sum up what I am doing, but I need help on the three TODO areas at the end.

Basically the end product should have you entering a text file and then formatting it according to maxWidth.


Started a new job this week 7am-6pm M-F so I am unbelievably exhausted and I just can't seem to figure out this last part and I know it should not be this hard.

Any help is appreciated, any help in the form of code is god-like.

Thanks

[Campbell Ritchie]

Go and find the "cattle drive" part of this website and find the example (I think 1a) which prints Gertrude 100 times. Several other people are struggling with a similar problem, or with the cattle drive example which prints Gertrude without going over the end of the line. Do a search of this forum for 1b; it was only a few days ago.

What you need is to count the length of your ************************** line, count the length of line you have got to print out already, and if there isn't enough space for the next word, go onto a new line.
Remember to allow for your spaces.