Re: Array of something

From:
Lew <noone@lewscanon.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.help
Date:
Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:44:37 -0400
Message-ID:
<imj5sb$h79$1@news.albasani.net>
Merciadri Luca wrote:

Here is a more complete description.

* I've got a Cell class which should allow me to define a state State for
   every Cell instanciation. That is, I define

==
public class Cell
{
  public enum State
  {
  DEAD, LIVING
  }
public State state;
}
==
(these are either DEAD or LIVING `Cell' that will be instanciated).

* I want to compare the value of the state of a Cell with a State
   `constant,' i.e. do something like

==
if (tableau.setOfCells[i][j].state == State.LIVING)
{
...
}
==
but compiler complains: `cannot find symbol State.'


That's because 'State' is a nested class - it has to be accessed through its
outer class. 'State' is a static member of 'Cell', not a standalone class.

Try 'Cell.State.LIVING', or else elevate 'State' to a top-level class:

------------------------------------
  package tableaux;
  public enum State
  {
    DEAD, LIVING
  }
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
  package tableaux;
  public class Cell
  {
   public State state;
  }
------------------------------------

Remember that public fields of a type are an antipattern in Java.

* In the last chunk of code, tableau is a Tableau element where I've
   got a class `Tableau' defined like this:

==
public class Tableau
{
    public Cell[][] setOfCells;


Bad name for something that is not a 'Set'.

    public Tableau(int n, int s)
    {
        setOfCells = new Cell[n][n];
    }
}
==


What does the constructor 's' argument contribute?

and where tableau is created thanks to the call to the accessor:

==
Tableau tableau = new Tableau(n, s);
==

That is, my main goal is to create two instances of `Tableau': tableau
and tableau2, which should contain each one a `setOfCells' element,
which would be a n*n Cell array. This array would then be accessed
using habitual indices, and, an element of this Cell array being a


"habitual"?

Cell, accessing a Cell would lead to the possibility of accessing its state.


OK

But what you show is an n x n array of 'null' references, so you have nothing
whose state you can access.

  public class Tableau
  {
   /* p-p */ Cell[][] cells;

   public Tableau(int n, int s)
   {
     cells = new Cell[n][n];
     for ( int ix = 0; ix < n; ++ix )
     for ( int jx = 0; jx < n; ++ix )
     {
       cells [ix] [jx] = getValue( ix, jx );
     }
   }

   public void doSomething()
   {
     for ( int ix = 0; ix < cells.length; ++ix )
     for ( int jx = 0; ix < cells [0].length; ++ix )
     {
       final Cell cell = cells [ix] [jx];
       if ( cell != null )
       {
         process( cell.state );
       }
     }
   }
  }

If you don't handle error conditions, preferably via prevention, your program
will crash horribly and embarrass you beyond belief.

--
Lew
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
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