Develop Reference

Class which removes objects from array in main

I'm working on an object-oriented program in Java that allows you to keep track of a horde of zombies. A zombie can be identified either by a unique id number or a single name, and we want to note how many limbs each zombie currently possesses. Zombies may leave the horde either by their own accord or removed by a zombie hunter.
Currently I'm trying to work on the zombie hunter class, I need it to remove objects from an array of zombies in main after it meets a certain condition, and the other classes should be done I believe:
zombieHorde.java
public class ZombieHorde{
int hordeSize = 0;
public ZombieHorde(int hordeSize){
Zombie zombies = new Zombie[hordeSize];
hordeSize++;
}
}
zombie.java
import horde;
public class Zombie {
int hordeSize = 0;
public Zombie(String name, int limbs) {
this.name = name;
this.limbs = limbs;
}
public int loseLimbs() {
limbs--;
}
public int getLimbs() {
return limbs;
}
public void leaveHorde() {
hordeSize--;
}
}
main.java
// accuracy to determine if a zombie hunter kills its mark,
// then if it does I can decrease the horde size and get rid
// of the object/kill the zombie, use random for determining
// # of limbs, and if zombies join a horde, etc.
// main class creates a horde, creates zombies and adds them
// to a horde, and the zombie hunter object
// could also have multiple Hordes, ZombieHunters!
import Zombie;
import ZombieHorde;
import ZombieHunter;
public class MyZombieGame{
public static void main(String[] args){
// creates horde
ZombieHorde h = ZombieHorde(hordeSize);
// create zombies and add them to array
Zombie myZombie = Zombie(Chuck, 4);
// create zombie hunter to remove from array?
}
}
And zombiehunter.java
import horde;
public class ZombieHunter{
public void shootAt(name){
}
}
What I'm thinking is I could have an accuracy assigned to a zombie hunter, and then compare that to a random number, and if the accuracy is higher, then the zombie hunter hits its mark and kills a zombie, then I remove a zombie object from the ZombieHorde array in main! If that makes sense, although I'm a little tripped up by them leaving on their own accords, any ideas would be awesome about an approach to this and how I should go about removing the objects from the array.
I'm brand new to Java so there might be some errors I apologize if this is the case! Just looking for a push in the right direction!

You might want to concider using some sort of map (i.e. a Hashmap) instead of an array.
public class ZombieHorde{
//note that class attributes are usually private
private int hordeSize = 0; //actually no need for hordSize here, you could just use .size();
private HashMap<String, Zombie> zombieHorde;
public ZombieHorde(){
//instanciate Hashmap
this.zombieHorde = new HashMap<String, Zombie>();
}
public void addToHorde(Zombie zombie){
//assuming there is a get name method implemented
this.zombieHorde.put(zombie.getName, zombie);
this.hordeSize++;
}
public void removeFromHorde(Zombie zombie){
//assuming there is a get name method implemented
this.zombieHorde.remove(zombie.getName);
this.hordeSize--;
}
}
On a map you can use functions like add and remoive which makes it useful for usecases like this. If you wanna know the hordeSize you can also just use zombieHodre.size()
(Not sure if my code is 100% correct but you should get the idea).

text adventure/interactive fiction in java

I decided to create an account in order to ask a question I cant seem to figure out myself, or by some googling, hopefully I didn't just overlook it.
Essentially I am trying to make a text adventure game in Java, and am having a little trouble seeing how I should relate everything in the idea of objects. I have been successful in using XML stax and sending a file to the program, and using attributes and what not, to make it where the user can enter an integer associated with an option, and see if option requires an "item" or gives them an Item. I however did not take an OOP to this.
I want my new program to people able to take a string of user input in, instead of only an integer, and checking it against an array list if it exists. This is closer to the classic MUDs most may be familiar with.
I want to design it in a modular way, so I can slowly add on ideas, and more complexity to go along, so I don't want a "well it works so lets leave it alone" approach either.
Currently I simply want something close to this:
A Room object, which would have: an ID, Description, and interact-able
a Choice object (this one im not sure on) I thought about making an object to hold each rooms possible choices, both for exit, and for interact-ables
if so, the room object may need a Choice Object.
I've thought it over, tried some code, thought it over again, and every time, I keep ending up hard coding more than I feel I should, and making tons more variables than I feel are necessary, which makes me feel like i'm missing something crucial in my thinking.
I also want these rooms to be created through an inputted file, not generated in the code (so essentially the code is a story reader/crafter for any type, not one)
I have also been attempting this too long, and my solutions are becoming worse, but below was my most recent attempt at a rough Idea:
a GameManager class that takes the userInput and checks it some, before passing it along. I havent passed any data because im not sure of the approach. also im not used to regex, so some of that may also be wrong, if it is, maybe point it out, but that is not my focus
import java.util.Scanner;
public class GameManager {
private static final String EXIT_PHRASE = "exit";
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner userInput = new Scanner(System.in);
String userStringVal = "";
while(!userStringVal.equals(EXIT_PHRASE)){
userStringVal= userInput.nextLine();
if(checkKeywords(userStringVal)){
System.out.println("matches keyword");
}
else System.out.println("didnt match a keyword");
}
userInput.close();
}
public static boolean checkKeywords(String string){
boolean isKeyword = false;
string.toLowerCase();
if(string.matches("travel.*") || string.matches("search.*")){
System.out.println("passed first check");
String substring = string.substring(6);
if(matchDirection(substring)){
isKeyword = true;
}
}
return isKeyword;
}
public static boolean matchDirection(String string){
boolean hasDirection = false;
if(string.matches(".*\\bnorth|south|east|west|northeast|northwest|southeast| southwest|up|down")){
hasDirection = true;
}
return hasDirection;
}
}
The Room object I thought about as such:
import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamException;
import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamReader;
public class Room {
private String roomDescription = "";
private int roomID=0;
private int northExit=0;
private int southExit=0;
private int eastExit=0;
private int westExit=0;
private int northeastExit=0;
private int northwestExit=0;
private int southeastExit=0;
private int southwestExit=0;
private int upExit=0;
private int downExit=0;
private String[] interactables = new String[10];
private Options options = new Options();
public Room(XMLStreamReader reader) throws XMLStreamException{
setAttValues(reader);
setRoomDescription(reader);
setUpOptions();
}
public void setinteractables(XMLStreamReader reader){
int count = reader.getAttributeCount();
for(int i = 0; i < count; i++){
interactables[i] = reader.getAttributeValue(i);
}
}
public void setAttValues(XMLStreamReader reader){
int count = reader.getAttributeCount();
for(int i = 0; i < count; i++){
String att = reader.getAttributeLocalName(i);
if(att !=""){
switch(att){
case "North": northExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "South": southExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "East": eastExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "West": westExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "NorthEast": northeastExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "NorthWest": northwestExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "SouthEast": southeastExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "SouthWest": southwestExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "Up": upExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "Down": downExit=Integer.parseInt(att);
case "ID": roomID=Integer.parseInt(att);
}
}
}
}
public void setRoomDescription(XMLStreamReader reader) throws XMLStreamException{
roomDescription = reader.getElementText();
}
public void setUpOptions(){
options.setCardinalPointers(northExit, southExit, eastExit, westExit);
options.setIntercardinalPointers(northeastExit, northwestExit, southeastExit, southwestExit);
options.setElevationPointers(upExit, downExit);
}
}
what can I do to make sure I dont have to state so many directions with so many variables?
here is a quick and rough idea of an Option class that I thought about, but i didn't finish deciding I am already too far in the wrong direction
public class Options {
private int northPointer = 0;
private int southPointer= 0;
private int eastPointer = 0;
private int westPointer = 0;
private int northeastPointer= 0;
private int northwestPointer = 0;
private int southeastPointer = 0;
private int southwestPointer = 0;
private int upPointer = 0;
private int downPointer = 0;
private String northInteractable = "";
private String southInteractable = "";
private String eastInteractable = "";
private String westInteractable = "";
private String northeastInteractable ="";
private String northwestInteractable = "";
private String southeastInteractable = "";
private String southwestInteractable = "";
private String upInteractable = "";
private String downInteractable = "";
public Options(){
}
public void setCardinalPointers(int north, int south, int east, int west){
northPointer = north;
southPointer = south;
eastPointer = east;
westPointer = west;
}
public void setIntercardinalPointers(int northeast, int northwest, int southeast, int southwest){
northeastPointer = northeast;
northwestPointer=northwest;
southeastPointer=southeast;
southwestPointer=southwest;
}
public void setElevationPointers(int up, int down){
upPointer = up;
downPointer = down;
}
public String whatToReturn(String string){
String importantPart = "";
if(string.matches("travel.*")){
String substring = string.substring(6);
}
else {
importantPart = "Interactable";
String substring = string.substring(6);
if (substring.matches("\\bnorth\\b")) {
if(northInteractable!=0){
}
}
else if (substring.matches("\\bsouth\\b"))
else if (substring.matches("\\beast\\b"))
else if (substring.matches("\\bwest\\b"))
else if (substring.contains("northeast"))
else if (substring.contains("northwest"))
else if (substring.contains("southeast"))
else if (substring.contains("southwest"))
else if (substring.contains("up"))
else if (substring.contains("down"))
}
return importantPart;
}
}
I did not see the adventure tag until after I typed this, so I will start perusing through there, but will still post this, so my apologies if there is a good answer to this and I have yet to find it.
as a recap: what would be a good way to relate a few objects to create a room object (that gets its information from a file (XML being what im used to)) having exits, descriptions, and interactions. and the user interacting with these based off keywords that can be inputted freely, and not restricted to say, index values of array's holding keywords.
Im thinking when the user types something like "travel north" to first check if they typed a keyword, in this case being travel, then a direction. Then somewhree else checking if it states travel, check north with a possible northExit a room may or may not have. Then if its another keyword, say like check, to make it easy also have the exact same directions, but check for a different string.
Then if room "northExit" exists, get an option somehow, with a pointer to another roomID. though This thought process causes me issues when thinking about future possibility of requiring items for getting to the next room. Also where to store/acquire these options is causing some difficulties.

There are two things I would like to introduce to you. The first, in the enum. You can think of this as a special kind of class where all the possible options are enumerated in the class definition. This is perfect for things like, in your case, directions. Enums can be simple, where you just list all of the possible options for use in other classes:
public enum Direction {
NORTH, NORTH_EAST, EAST, SOUTH_EAST, SOUTH, SOUTH_WEST, WEST, NOTH_WEST;
}
They can be a bit more complex, if you want them to have methods and attributes of their own:
public enum Direction {
NORTH(true), NORTH_EAST(false), EAST(true), SOUTH_EAST(false), SOUTH(true), SOUTH_WEST(false), WEST(true), NOTH_WEST(false);
private final boolean isCardinal;
private Direction(boolean isCardinal){
this.isCardinal = isCardinal;
}
public boolean isCardinal(){
return isCardinal;
}
public static Collection<Direction> getCardinalDirections(){
return Arrays.asList(Direction.values()).stream().filter(Direction::isCardinal).collect(Collectors.toList());
}
public static Collection<Direction> getIncardinalDirections(){
return Arrays.asList(Direction.values()).stream().filter(x -> !x.isCardinal()).collect(Collectors.toList());
}
}
Please read more about Java enum types here.
The second thing I would like to introduce to you is the data structure known as the Map. Maps are also known as Dictionaries, and that can often help understanding how they work. A Map will take one object and map it to another object, like how a Dictionary maps a word to its definition, or a phonebook maps a person's name to their phone number. We can simplify your Room class a ton by using a Map. I am not going to reproduce all of your code, since I'm focusing on your Room exists right now:
public class Room {
private Map<Direction, Room> exits;
public Room(){
this.exits = new HashMap<>();
}
public void setExit(Direction direction, Room room){
this.exits.put(direction, room);
}
public Room getExit(Direction direction){
return this.exits.get(direction);
}
}
Please read more about the Java Map interface here.
You will, of course, need to adapt your methods which are reading from XML, etc. But, now, your Room class should be greatly simplified.
I hope this points you in a helpful direction.

Java, Multiple classes and their multiple booleans

So I've been stuck on this issue for quite some time now and I just can't seem to figure out the solution. I'm currently working on a project that simulates a parking garage. The parking garage itself isn't the issue; it's the several types of customers that are supposed to be simulated. To make things a little easier I'll ask for the solution of one and with that I should be able to work out the others myself.
For starters it is a requirement to create a separate class for customers with a parking pass and integrate this in a way that shows which cars are parking pass holders and which aren't.
import java.util.Random;
/* creates a boolean called isPass that is randomly picked to be true or false. */
public interface ParkPass {
public Random rnd = new Random();
public boolean isPass = rnd.nextBoolean();
}
This is the class that allows me to randomly set a parking pass. Since the simulation happens through a different class, all I can do is create the method to set the Pass to true or false; I can't set the Pass itself in this class.
public abstract class Car {
private Location location;
private int minutesLeft;
public boolean isPaying;
public boolean isBlue;
public void setIsPaying(boolean isPaying) {
this.isPaying = isPaying;
}
// added a method to allow us to set the colour of the car to blue for when they have a parking pass.
public void setIsBlue(boolean isBlue) {
this.isBlue = isBlue;
}
This is a small snippet of the Car class that shows which booleans belong to it and might show you which direction I'm trying to go with this simulation.
public class AdHocCar extends Car implements ParkPass{
public AdHocCar() {
setIsBlue(isPass);
setIsPaying(!isPass);
}
}
This is the class that is called when simulating a car going in and out of the parking garage. Here you can see I tried implementing the ParkPass class in order to set the Isblue and IsPaying booleans in the Car class so that I can call upon these in the next bit of code which is the simulation view that I'm currently stuck on trying to fix.
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
public class SimulatorView extends JFrame {
private CarParkView carParkView;
private int numberOfFloors;
private int numberOfRows;
private int numberOfPlaces;
private Car[][][] cars;
public void updateView() {
/* Create a new car park image if the size has changed.
added 2 colours to show the difference between the three different customer types.*/
if (!size.equals(getSize())) {
size = getSize();
carParkImage = createImage(size.width, size.height);
}
Graphics graphics = carParkImage.getGraphics();
for(int floor = 0; floor < getNumberOfFloors(); floor++) {
for(int row = 0; row < getNumberOfRows(); row++) {
for(int place = 0; place < getNumberOfPlaces(); place++) {
Location location = new Location(floor, row, place);
Car car = getCarAt(location);
Color color = car == null ? Color.white : Car.isBlue ? Color.blue /*: isReservation == true ? Color.green*/ :Color.red ;
drawPlace(graphics, location, color);
}
}
}
repaint();
}
And here we finally get to the problem I have been facing. If you look at it right now you'll probably notice quite a few things wrong. This is because after 10 hours of research and constant changing of the Color attribute I kind of lost track of the exact way I was trying to implement the booleans that were created earlier in order to show the difference between the two types of customer. I'm not extremely experienced with programming so after awhile I just gave in and decided to ask here.
Now for the question, with all these separate classes creating their own booleans how can I make sure that when I use the simulation the cars using a Parking Pass will be blue while the cars that have to pay normally are shown as red?

public interface ParkPass {
public Random rnd = new Random();
public boolean isPass = rnd.nextBoolean();
}
Problem is in the above part. You can not define instance variables in interfaces. These members becoming static final as default.
Move this members to Car class and it will work.

Add card to hand in blackjack

How do I add a card to my hand when it says "addCardToHand" I tried card++; and hand++; neither worked. Is there a problem with my code, or did I just left something out? I feel like I need to add something but, I don't know what.
private AbstractCard[] hand;
private int winCount;
public AbstractPlayer() {
hand = new AbstractCard[0];
}
public AbstractPlayer(int score) {
}
public void addCardToHand( AbstractCard card ) {
AbstractCard[] NewHand = new AbstractCard[hand.length+1];
for ( int i = 0; i < NewHand.length; i++) {
NewHand[i] = hand[i];
}
}
public void resetHand() {
hand = new AbstractCard[0];
}

I think it's probably because hand[] has nothing in it. It gets created as an array with size 0, (no elements), and then when you add a card, you pull from the hand[] at index 0, but since the hand[] has no elements, it's not pulling from anywhere.
Basically, nowhere in your code does hand[] ever get to be an array with any elements in it, so when you take from hand[0] there's nothing there, because in hand = new AbstractCard[0];, [0] is the size of the array.
EDIT:
You might want to look into using an ArrayList (Oracle documentation) (Stack Overflow post), because they don't have a pre-defined size. In your case, you're adding elements as you go, so an ArrayList be very helpful. With an ArrayList, you won't have to constantly create new arrays.

You probably want to keep track of the next insert position for cards with some state like private int insertCursor = 0;
Your addCardToHand(AbstractCard) method can then simply be
public void addCardToHand(AbstractCard card) {
hand[insertCursor++] = card;
}

How to create my own collection?

So lets say I have a class BaseballCard that creates a baseball card.
Now I need to make another class which would be my collection class.
For example I would call it BaseballCardCollection
and then I want to create methods like
size (which returns the numbers of cards in the collection)
addCard(adds a baseball object to the collection object)
removeCard (removes a baseball card)
and so on
What would be the best way to do this. I tried doing this
public CardCollectionList() {
BaseballCard[] baseballCardList = new BaseballCard[101];
}
So each object is insinuated with an array of type BaseballCard of size 100.
And then for example the size method I tried something like this
public int size(){
int size = 0;
for(int i = 1; i<this.baseballCardList.length; i++)
if (baseballCardList!= null)
size+=1;
}
But it doesn't work because "baseballCardList cannot be resolved to a variable"

You could try using ArrayLists - http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/util/ArrayList.html:
ArrayList<baseballCard> baseballCardList = new ArrayList<baseballCard>(0);
public boolean addCard(baseballCard card){
return baseballCardList.add(card);
}
public boolean removeCard(int card){
return baseballCardList.remove(card);
}
public baseballCard getCard(int card){
return baseballCardList.get(card);
}
public int sizeBaseballCardList(){
return baseballCardList.size();
}
public ArrayList<baseballCard> getBaseballCardList(){
return baseballCardList;
}

Move the variable BaseballCard[] baseballCardList outside the constructor, make it a field in your class. Do similar with size.
This is how the class should look like:
public class CardCollectionList {
//fields
private BaseballCard[] baseballCardList;
private int size;
//constructor
public CardCollectionList() {
baseballCardList = new BaseballCard[101];
}
//method
public int getSize() {
return this.size;
}
}

You could try creating your own class implementing the Collection interface and define your own methods + implement Collection methods:
public class myContainer implements Collection <BaseballCard> {
}

You need to move the variable declaration from the constructor to the class, so you can access it in other methods, too.
class CardCollectionList {
BaseballCard[] baseballCardList;
public CardCollectionList() {
baseballCardList = new BaseballCard[101];
}
public int size(){
int size = 0;
for(int i = 1; i<this.baseballCardList.length; i++) {
if (baseballCardList[i] != null) {
size+=1;
}
}
return size;
}
}
The code is as close to your fragment as possible. There are several ways to improve this (keep track of the size when adding, automatic array reallocation etc.). But it is a start if you want to try this yourself.
Normally, you'd probably just use ArrayList<BaseballCard>.

Now I need to make another class which would be my collection class.
... What would be the best way to do this.
I don't have enough reputation to comment on your question, so I am going to assume that you just want to store BaseballCard objects in a Java Collection. The Java SDK offers a lot of options. Since you are asking about the "best" way to go then I would use one of those unless you need to add additional functionality .
if you don't find what you need from the Java SDK or just want to create your own Collection then follow the advice given by #michał-szydłowski above