Sombody please help this Noob!

[Josh Pont]

I have created this simple program for my programming logic class, my methods all seem to do the right math but when I get to my output method the values are switched around. That is to say I have changed my GrandTotal to ShippingTotal as well as other because shipping toltal displays the correct answer for grand total. Help me please if you can. I'll paste my code below.

/**
 *
 * @author Josh Pont
 *
 */
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
import java.lang.*;
import java.text.DecimalFormat;
 
 
 
 
public class Main 
{
 
    /**
     * @param args the command line arguments
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // TODO code application logic here
        
//  Declare variables
double TotalCookieCost,SalesTax,ShippingTotal,GrandTotal,ShippingWeight;
int LCookies,SCookies;
 
 
//  Call Methods
SCookies=getSmallCookies();
 
LCookies=getLargeCookies();
 
TotalCookieCost=getTotalCookieCost(LCookies,SCookies);
SalesTax=getSalesTax(TotalCookieCost);
ShippingWeight=getShippingWeight(SCookies,LCookies);
ShippingTotal=getShippingTotal(ShippingWeight);
GrandTotal=getGrandTotal(TotalCookieCost,SalesTax,ShippingTotal);
 
Output(GrandTotal,TotalCookieCost,SalesTax,ShippingTotal);
 
    }
 
    public static int getSmallCookies()
    //get amount of small cookies from user
    {
        int sCookies=0;
        boolean done=false;
    //loop while not done
        while(!done)
        {String answer=JOptionPane.showInputDialog(null,"Please enter the number of small cookies desired.\nIf no small cookies are desired enter the number zero\nor click cancel to exit.");
       
    
        try
         {sCookies=Integer.parseInt(answer);
        if(sCookies<0)throw new NumberFormatException();
        else done=true;
         }
        catch(NumberFormatException e)
        {JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"Your entry was not in the proper format.\nDo not use letters, symbols, or punctuation.","Error",JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
        }
        }
    return sCookies;
    }
    
    public static int getLargeCookies()
    
      {
        int lCookies=0;
        boolean done=false;
    //loop while not done
        while(!done)
        {String answer=JOptionPane.showInputDialog(null,"Please enter the number of large cookies desired.\nIf no large cookies are desired enter the number zero\nor click cancel to exit.");
         
        try
         {lCookies=Integer.parseInt(answer);
        if(lCookies<0)throw new NumberFormatException();
        else done=true;
         }
        catch(NumberFormatException e)
        {JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"Your entry was not in the proper format.\nDo not use letters, symbols, or punctuation.","Error",JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
        }
        }
    return lCookies;
    }
    
    public static double getTotalCookieCost(int LCookies,int SCookies)
    {
        double totalCost=0.00;
        double lCost=.95;
        double sCost=.50;
        
        totalCost=((LCookies*lCost)+(SCookies*sCost));
        return totalCost;
    }
    
    public static double getShippingWeight(int SCookies,int LCookies)
    {
        double shipWeight=0.00;
        double LcWeight=11.00;
        double ScWeight=6.00;
        
        shipWeight=((LCookies*LcWeight)+(SCookies*ScWeight));
        
        return shipWeight;
       
    }
    
    public static double getSalesTax(double TotalCookieCost)
    {
        double taxRate=.05;
        double totalST=0.00;
        
       totalST=taxRate*TotalCookieCost;
        
        return totalST;
     
    }
    
    public static double getShippingTotal(double ShippingWeight)
    {
    double ShippingTotal=0.00;
      
    while(ShippingWeight>=16)
    {
       ShippingTotal=ShippingTotal+1.00;
       ShippingWeight=ShippingWeight-16;
    }
    
    ShippingTotal=(ShippingWeight*.10)+ShippingTotal;
    return ShippingTotal;
    }
    
 
    public static double getGrandTotal(double SalesTax,double ShippingTotal,double TotalCookieCost)
    {
              
       double grandTotal=TotalCookieCost+SalesTax+ShippingTotal;
               
        return grandTotal;
    }
    
    
                    
    
 public static void Output(double TotalCookieCost,double SalesTax,double ShippingTotal,double GrandTotal)
 {
    DecimalFormat twoDigits=new DecimalFormat("$,000.00");
    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"The combined cost of cookies is:"
            + twoDigits.format(SalesTax)+"\nSales Tax:"
            + twoDigits.format(ShippingTotal)+"\n\nShipping Total:"
            + twoDigits.format(GrandTotal)+"\n\n\nYour Grand Total is:"
            + twoDigits.format(TotalCookieCost),
            "Cookie Sales Total",JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
 
} 
     
   
   // public static void finish()
  //  {
      //  System.exit(0);
  //  }
    
    
    }

[fbr - added code tags]

[ inserted line breaks in one really long line - Jim ]
[ December 10, 2007: Message edited by: Jim Yingst ]

[Bridget Kennedy]

Hello, Josh.

Couple of things - first of all the

tags are useful for maintaining indentation and making your code more readable.

Second, I see a problem with the use of your getGrandTotal method. Take a look at the order of method arguments.
[ December 10, 2007: Message edited by: Bridget Kennedy ]

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Actually it's where you call Output() that you should look at. Here's the call:

Output(GrandTotal,TotalCookieCost,SalesTax,ShippingTotal);

and here's the method declaration:

void Output(double TotalCookieCost,double SalesTax,double ShippingTotal,double GrandTotal)

You're passing the arguments in the wrong order: in Output, the value of GrandTotal is the value copied from the ShippingTotal variable in main(). The other arguments are similarly mixed up.

[Bridget Kennedy]

Ah yes. I was faked out by the scrambled variable names in getGrandTotal, when, in fact, the order is irrelevant.

This Josh is a tricky fellow.

[Josh Pont]

I am still confused as to how I can fix my issue? My professor is teaching this class for the first time and is unfamiliar with Java, so its the blind leading the blind. I should change my Output() method from void to what double because all its called args are doubles? And yes, I am that green P.S. Thanks all for the help so far and to come.

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Your output method takes four parameters. When you call it, you supply four arguments. The arguments you supply when you call it have to be in the same order as the parameters. An example:

double divide(double a, double b) { return a/b; }

divide(1, 2) is 0.5 (one half, 1/2), but divide(2, 1) is 2.0 (i.e., 2/1).

When you're calling your Output method, you have to supply the arguments in the same order that they are listed in the declaration of Output. So instead of what you have, you want:

Output(TotalCookieCost, SalesTax, ShippingTotal, GrandTotal);

so that it matches the declaration. Understand?

[Josh Pont]

Oh, my god I am so dense. Told ya i was green. That totaly makes sense now. Now I just need to see if I can fix it.

[Bridget Kennedy]

Re. my comment:

I was faked out by the scrambled variable names in getGrandTotal, when, in fact, the order is irrelevant.

The reason the order doesn't matter in this method:

public static double getGrandTotal(double SalesTax,double ShippingTotal,double TotalCookieCost)
{
double grandTotal=TotalCookieCost+SalesTax+ShippingTotal;return grandTotal;
}

is that all the arguments are of the same type and the operation performed in the method (adding them all together) just happens to be order independent.

Of course, even though it will work regardless of order, you should always follow your specified ordering when calling this method for the purposes of making your code more readable. Doing so will also prevent future errors - say in the case where you modify the method and introduce operations for which the ordering IS important.
[ December 11, 2007: Message edited by: Bridget Kennedy ]

[Josh Pont]

Thanks everybody my stupid cookie calculator works fabulous now!

[Ulf Dittmer]

Originally posted by Josh Pont:
Thanks everybody my stupid cookie calculator works fabulous now!

It's no longer stupid after input from all these knowledgeable people has been incorporated

[Adam Schaible]

So now that it is solved, I think there is something valuable to take away here ---

When designing a method, it's parameter list is just as important as the method name. There's no "rule" - but a good metric is three or less parameters, with only two of the same type - and try not to make the same-type-paramters sequential.

You could also think about splitting the method into two methods if they could operate on two parameters each (forgive me, I really haven't looked MUCH at your code).

It's not like your designing methods for a million programmers to use, but who's to say you won't some day? Whenever you design an "api" - those are some initial things to consider.

Hope that helps!