Resolving conflict between constructor and method call in main class

[celine scarlett]

Hi,

I've written a Title, TitleList and a main class to test these. The problem occurs between the constructors in the Title class and the test maim class. the constructors are as follows,

     String[] words = filmDetails.split(",");
        titleCode = Integer.parseInt(words[0]);
        filmName = words[1];
        leadActor1 = words[1];
        leadActor2 = words[3];
        director = words[4];
    }
    
    public Title(SimpleReader in) {
    this(in.readLine());
    }

I need to call the above constructor in the test main class in conjunction with an add method from the TitleList class. The problem is that when the user runs the main class they have to input an integer and four strings. These strings can be any number of words per input.

How do I use the following main class with the above constructors?

import simplejava.*;
import videos.*;
import java.io.*;
 
public class AddTitle {
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String film, actor1, actor2, director, title;
        int codeNum;
        
        SimpleReader keyboard = new SimpleReader();
        SimpleWriter screen = new SimpleWriter();
        
        SimpleReader inFile = new SimpleReader("title_test.txt");
        
        //title = inFile.readLine();
        //String[] myStrings = title.split(",");
        
        TitleList titles = new TitleList(inFile);
        codeNum = keyboard.readint("Title Code for the Film");
        //int intValue = codeNum;
        //String stringValue = Integer.toString(intValue);
        film = keyboard.readLine("Film Title?");
        actor1 = keyboard.readLine("Lead Actor?");
        actor2 = keyboard.readLine("Supporting Actor?");
        director = keyboard.readLine("Director?");
        titles.add(new Title(codeNum, film, actor1, actor2, director));
        screen.println(titles);
        
        title = inFile.readLine();
        String[] myStrings = title.split(",");
        
        SimpleWriter outFile = new SimpleWriter("title_test.txt");
        titles.saveTo(outFile);
        outFile.close();    
    }
}

Any idea how to use the user input of one integer and four strings with the constructors in the Title class?

Any help or advice gratefully appreciated!!

[Stan James]

Assuming you lost this line in a typing this in ...

public Title( String filmDetails )

That constructor expects the five fields you have collected in one string with commas between them. Could you build one string like that from your fields?

The other constructor expects a SimpleReader that is ready to read the five fields in a single line. That could work, but you'd have to make sure your user is willing and able to type all five fields correctly with commas between them.

With either constructor, watch out for titles with commas in them! "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is going to be too complex for this program.

So try building one string from your five fields and show us how it goes!

[celine scarlett]

Hi,

Thanks for the help. I'm able to build one string from many using an example such as,

String videoTitles = film+actor1+actor2;

The problem is that I'm still getting errors from my main class. I get the following error,

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: 1
        at VideoStoreProject.Title.<init>(Title.java:21)
        at VideoStoreProject.AddTitle.main(AddTitle.java:40)
Java Result: 1

These errors refer to the following code. Firstly within the Title class,

public Title(int Title, String filmDetails) {
        titleCode = Title;
        String[] words = filmDetails.split(",");
        filmName = words[0];
        leadActor1 = words[1];//this is the line causing the above error at line 21
        leadActor2 = words[2];
        director = words[3];
    }

and secondly within the main class,

titles.add(new Title(codeNum, videoTitles));//line causing the second error

I'm assuming the second error is simply because of the first problem in the Title class.

Anybody know why this happening and what it means?

[celine scarlett]

Hi,

I'm happy to say I've nearly solved this problem. I now have the file being written and read correctly, up to the time the user inputs and saves the data on the third try. Then the previous line is saved with an extra comma after the first integer, as follows

20 3
111,forrest gump,tom hanks,gary sinise,robert zemeckis
112,,lost in translation,bill murray,scarlett johansson
113,moulin rouge,nicole kidman,ewan mcgragor,baz luhrmann

Does anybody know why this might happen?

The current code for my main class is as follows,

import simplejava.*;
import videos.*;
import java.io.*;
 
public class AddTitle {
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String film, actor1, actor2, director, title, flush;
        int codeNum;
        
        SimpleReader keyboard = new SimpleReader();
        SimpleWriter screen = new SimpleWriter();
        
        SimpleReader inFile = new SimpleReader("title_test.txt");
        
        TitleList titles = new TitleList(inFile);
        
        codeNum = keyboard.readInt("Title Code for the Film");
        film = keyboard.readLine("Film Title?");
        actor1 = keyboard.readLine("Lead Actor?");
        actor2 = keyboard.readLine("Supporting Actor?");
        director = keyboard.readLine("Director?");
        
        String videoTitles = film+","+actor1+","+actor2+","+director;
        titles.add(new Title(codeNum, videoTitles));
        screen.println(titles);
        
        SimpleWriter outFile = new SimpleWriter("title_test.txt");
        titles.saveTo(outFile);
        outFile.close();
    
    }
    
}

Any help or advice?

[Henry Wong]

It doesn't look like an extra comma to me -- as all lines have the same amount of commas.

Henry

[celine scarlett]

Hi,

Yes, I think you're right. Whenever I try to add an extra title, it writes the first entry correctly, and then moves the first string to the second string postion in the list, leaving the first sting position empty, as follows,

Code Number = 111 Film = forrest gump Lead Actor = tom hanks Supporting Actor = gary sinise Director = robert zemeckis 
Code Number = 112 Film =  Lead Actor = moulin rouge Supporting Actor = nicole kidman Director = ewan mcgregor 
Code Number = 113 Film =  Lead Actor = lost in translation Supporting Actor = bill murray Director = scarlett johansson 

Does anybody know why this might happen?

[celine scarlett]

Hi,

I'm very pleased to announce that this problem has finally been solved. I've added some extra code to the split method within the first constructor in the Title class. Code is as follows,

String[] words = filmDetails.replaceFirst("\\A,","").split(",");

Thanks for all the help!!