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Closed 10 years ago.
so i am trying to create an arraySet from only an array and array methods. I have the following piece of code that should find the index of the item chosen (i've included comments so you can understand what each method is supposed to do). As you can see the add method calls on the findIndex method before it can add the item. The problem i am having is that the findIndex method brings up an error (missing return value). How would i return just the int index of the item that the code finds? (the question marks in the code are just to show where i am stuck)
/** Find the index of an element in the dataarray, or -1 if not present
* Assumes that the item is not null
*/
private int findIndex(Object item) {
for(int i=0; i<data.length;i++){
if(data[i] == item){
return i;
}
}
return ???
}
/** Add the specified element to this set (if it is not a duplicate of an element
* already in the set).
* Will not add the null value (throws an IllegalArgumentException in this case)
* Return true if the collection changes, and false if it did not change.
*/
public boolean add(E item) {
if(item == null){
throw new IllegalArgumentException();
}
else if(contains(item) == true){
throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException();
}
else{
int index = findIndex(item);
if(index<0||index>count){
throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException();
}
ensureCapacity();
for(int i=count; i>index; i--){
data[i]=data[i-1];
}
data[index] = item;
count++;
return true;
}
}
If I'm understanding your question right it should just be this, the 'return i' accomplishes what you are asking, the return -1 is for the not found case:
private int findIndex(Object item) {
for(int i=0; i<data.length;i++){
if(data[i] == item){
return i;
}
}
return -1;
}
You've answered your own question, for the most part, in your comments. Which integer should be returned when the item can't be found? It can't be a valid value for something in the collection (think 0 <= x < list.size()).
A method that is declared to return a value must either return a value or throw an exception, no matter what. In the code you've written so far, you return a value only when you actually find what you're looking for. What should the method do when you don't find what you're looking for? It needs to return something then, too.
What is often done is to return a special value that couldn't possibly be an index. Hint: what kind of integers are never used as array indexes in Java? Return one of those. Then document this choice, and code that calls your method will have to check for this special return value to see if the item was found or not.
You should have the return i in the middle of your loop, as you currently have.
But you also need a return statement in case that if statement is never reached. Since your comment says you should use -1, you need a return -1 where you have return ???
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This is the question
Write a method atCapacity(int people, int capacity) that returns a boolean determining if a stadium is at maximum capacity. A stadium is at capacity if at least 80% of the seats are sold out.
Here's the code I tried
public class Scratchpad
{
atCapacity(int people, int capacity)
{
boolean atCapacity = false;
capacity = people * (80/100);
if(people > capacity)
{
return false;
}
else if(people <= capacity)
{
return true;
}
}
}
The code checker says
"Grader.java: Line 4: invalid method declaration; return type
required"
I don't understand how to fix the code. I'm not asking for answers I just need a nudge in the right direction. Thanks
This is supposed to be a method declaration:
atCapacity(int people, int capacity)
But the syntax for a method declaration requires a return type, as in
SomeReturnType atCapacity(int people, int capacity)
If we look at the body of the method you are returning true and false so the correct type should be the type of true and false, which is <nudge>
I can see some other errors too (<nudges>):
The compiler will tell you that you need a return at the end of the method. (It is not going to deduce that people > capacity and people <= capacity are mutually exclusive.)
There is more than one way of solving that conundrum.
At runtime, 80/100 is going to cause you grief; see Int division: Why is the result of 1/3 == 0?.
On the top of that, you have a variable called atCapacity which doesn't appear to be needed.
you could write
public boolean atCapacity() { ... }
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I am a beginner in Java and I am working right now with a small projekt, a hangman game. One of the functions I am working on right now is a method where it takes a char input, check if the input is already added to the list or not, if it is, a message will show up saying "You have already used that character!" and the user will have to guess again, otherwise the input will be added to the list. My issue right now is that nothing is happening, inputs are not added to the list at all.
This is what I have done so far:
Any advice/help would be appreciated!
public static ArrayList<Character> getGuesses(ArrayList<Character> allGuesses, char input){
for (int i = 0; i < allGuesses.size(); i++) {
if (allGuesses.get(i) == input) {
System.out.println("You have already used that character!");
}else {
allGuesses.add(input);
}
}
return allGuesses;
}
You are adding the input character on each iteration as you search the collection. You should only add it after you have searched the collection and not found it.
for (int index = 0 ; index < allGuesses.size() ; ++index) {
if (allGuesses.get(index) == input) {
System.out.println("You already used that character!");
return allGuesses;
}
}
allGuesses.add(input);
return allGuesses;
However, this can be simplified by using the Collection contains method such that you do not employ a loop.
if (allGuesses.contains(input)) {
System.out.println("You already used that character!");
return allGuesses;
}
allGuesses.add(input);
return allGuesses;
If possible, consider switching the type of allGuesses to a Set implementation (e.g. HashSet). A Set seems to better match how you are using your collection and allows you to reduce this method to...
if (! allGuesses.add(input)) {
System.out.println("You already used that character!");
}
return allGuesses;
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I just came up with a problem returning a Boolean value in accordance with a given condition. I thought in order to check the given condition for full possibilities I need to use for loop. But when I tried to compile it, it gives me error, possibly because there is uncertainty returning a Boolean value using for loop. Here is an original problem:
Return true if the given string contains a "bob" string, but where the middle 'o' char can be any char.
bobThere("abcbob") → true
bobThere("b9b") → true
bobThere("bac") → false
And here is my code:
public boolean bobThere(String str)
{
for(int i=0; i<str.length()-3; i++)
{
if (str.length()>=4): && str.charAt(i)=='b' && str.charAt(i+2)=='b')
{
return true;
}
else
return false;
else if (str.length()==4 && str.charAt(0)=='b' && str.charAt(2)=='b')
{
return true;
}
else
{
return false;
}
}
}
I just wanted to ask :
1. Can I fix the this code for returning a value. I mean, can I use for loop and return specific value for a given condition? If yes, please could you give me a sample.
2. Or are there any ways other than for loop to solve this problem.
Thanks in advance.
The compiler error is almost certainly because you have an elseif after an else. That's invalid.
Looking at your code, what you seem to want to do is loop through the string, and then return true if you're at the start of a b?b string. I'm not sure why you have your second if condition in there - at the moment your code would check the first and third characters of the string on every iteration of the loop, if the string happens to be exactly four characters long. Pointless, it doesn't need to be there. The check for length isn't necessary at all.
Additionally, your end condition for the loop is currently i < string.length()-3. This means that the final three characters of the string will not be checked. You would need to change this to either i <= string.length()-3 or i < string.length()-2 to solve this.
Your else return false stuff is going to give you a serious problem. Your code will enter the loop once, and then either return true or false, without ever going to the next phase of the loop. What you should do is loop through the string, and if you find what you're looking for, return true. Otherwise, don't return at all, and keep going with the loop. If you get to the end of the loop it means you never found what you were looking for, so you can at that point return false.
Taking those comments into account, your revised code would look like this (please note I haven't compiled or run this):
public boolean bobThere(String str)
{
for(int i = 0; i <= str.length() - 3; i++)
{
if (str.charAt(i) == 'b' && str.charAt(i + 2) == 'b')
{
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
I have some code that I would like to make more efficient by recursion. Trouble is I don't know where to start. The code compares two arraylists a and b to see if they are equal. Assume the sizes of both arrays are equal.
The code is
public boolean isEqual(A B) {
boolean answer = false;
if (lessThanOrEqualTo(B) == true);
for (int i = 0; i < DList.size(); i++) {
if (DList.get(i) == B.DList.get(i)) answer = true;
else answer = false;
}
return answer;
}
I have currently written
public boolean isEqualRecursion(A B) {
if DList.size() == 0;
return false();
} else {
}
I know the stopping case is 0 as when size is 0 nothing happens. I have no idea what to write next
Any help will be appreciated
Thanks
I have some code that I would like to make more efficient by recursion.
It is unlikely that you can make it more efficient by recursion. The chances are that it will be less efficient, and also fragile. This is because standard Java compilers don't implement tail-call optimization. The fragility occurs because a recursive comparison algorithm is liable to trigger a stack overflow if the input arrays are large enough.
However, if you want to continue with this as "an exercise", then my HINT is to add an index argument to the isEqualRecursion signature ...
I think that this is a pretty good start for you. This looks through all your elements, assuming they are an array, and then checks if they are equal in size.
public boolean isEqual(ArrayList<?> a, ArrayList<?> b) {
if (a.size() != b.size())
return false;
for (int i = 0; i < a.size(); i++) {
if (!isEqual((ArrayList<?>)a.get(i), (ArrayList<?>)b.get(i))) {
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
Now a couple of things to consider:
This assumes that the content of a(and b) must be an ArrayList at line (ArrayList<?>)a.get(i) what if our ArrayList actually contains something else, like an Integer?
What if our array lists contain null as an item?
What if we pass in two null ArrayLists? (or even just one?)
I'm not sure the point of your function lessThanOrEqualTo(B) is this part of the question or did you write this down wrong?
Also what is a DList?
This is a typical recursion question. You might want to try something like this:
int x = 0;
if(Dlist.get(x) != B.Dlist.get(x)) {
return false;
} else {
x+1;
}
if( x!= dList.size()) {
recursion;
}
return true;
I am building a Sudoku solver that use the Try and Fail technique to solve any problem. My algorithm is:
1)Update (method that remove any possible value that already given as a final value to element in the same Row, column or squar)
2)Get the minimum element that has minimum number of possible values
3)start solve assuming the first possible value is the final value
4)save the current sate into a stack
5)Try to solve
5-a)If solved, return
5-b)if not solved and with invalid Sudoku, then Pop previous state
6)Repeat step 3) for all possible vaues (9)
7)Repeat step 2) until the puzzel is solved
This is my code
Stack<Element[][]> myStack= new Stack<>();
private Element[][] mySudoku;
public void solve(){
update();//remove all final values from all possible values for each element
if(isSudokuSolved(mySudoku)){
return;
}
//find a cell that is not confirmed and has the minimal candidates
int celli=-1,cellj=-1, p=10;
for(int i=0;i<9;i++){
for(int j=0;j<9;j++){
if(mySudoku[i][j].getValue()==0){
if(mySudoku[i][j].getPossibleValues().size()<p){
celli=i;
cellj=j;
p=mySudoku[i][j].getPossibleValues().size();
}
}
}
}
try {
for (int c = 0; c < mySudoku[celli][cellj].getPossibleValues().size() - 1; c++) {
//save state
Element[][] copy=deepCopy(mySudoku);//copy the current state
myStack.push(copy);
//apply candidate to cell
mySudoku[celli][cellj].setValue(mySudoku[celli][cellj].getPossibleValues().get(c));
update();//check is solved
if(checkValidInputSudoku(mySudoku)){
solve();
}else{
try {
mySudoku = myStack.pop();
} catch (EmptyStackException est) {
//do nothing
}
}
}
} catch (Exception e) {
}
//if we have reached here then we are at the last possible value for the candidates so confirm candidate in cell
if(celli!=-1 && cellj!=-1 && p!=10) {//Some problems happen here "out of Boundry -1 Error"
mySudoku[celli][cellj].setValue(mySudoku[celli][cellj].getPossibleValues().get(mySudoku[celli][cellj].getPossibleValues().size()-1));
}
}//end of solve method
I have spent more than 6 hours trying to find out the problem. I have checked for the Update() method, deepCopy() method and checkValidInputSudoku() method. They all works fine. Thank you in Advance
I can see one problem in your code. You have a loop that is sawing off the branch it sits on:
for(int c = 0; c < mySudoku[celli][cellj].getPossibleValues().size() - 1; c++) {
...
mySudoku[celli][cellj].setValue(mySudoku[celli]cellj].getPossibleValues().get(c));
...
}
Apart from that, you are missing one of the values, it should be for(c=0; c!=size; ++c), i.e. not size - 1. Also, calling getPossibleValues() just once would make this code much more readable. Lastly, catching and ignoring a stack underflow is just stupid, because it hides errors in your algorithm, as far as I can tell. If you don't know how to handle an error, don't just silence it. Since java requires you to catch it, put it in the outermost place possible or at least abort or do something, but don't ignore it!
One more thing: You are recursing and passing the context data via mySodoku and myStack. This is completely missing the point of recursion (or at least the way it's typically used), because the function call stack is the only stack you need. Using these to pass parameters only makes things more complicated than necessary. Instead, the function should return a partial sodoku puzzle and return either the fully solved puzzle or null. Using is easier to distinguish than the exception you're using now, and it's a regular and expected thing, not really exceptional. Then, when trying different choices, you set the cell to the values in turn and recurse, until the call doesn't return null. If none of the choices returns a solution, you clear the cell and return null yourself.
solve(sodoku):
if sodoku is solved:
return true
if sodoku is invalid:
return false
c = some empty cell
for v in 1...9:
// set to a value and recurse
c = v
if solve(sodoku):
// found a solution
return true
// no solution found, clear cell and return failure
c = null
return false
BTW: This strategy is called "backtracking". Using a cell with the least amount of possible values is called "pruning", which allows you to cut off whole branches from the search tree. Actually determining the possible values also helps avoiding a few futile attempts.