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Java Java Objects (Retired) Delivering the MVP Determining if It Is Solved

Kevin Gresmer
Kevin Gresmer
3,020 Points
Posted by Kevin Gresmer
Kevin Gresmer
3,020 Points

Alternate way to print out the correct answer?

public void play() { while (mGame.getRemainingTries() > 0 && !mGame.isSolved()) { displayProgress(); promptForGuess(); } if (mGame.isSolved()) { System.out.printf("Congratulations you won with %d tries remaining!", mGame.getRemainingTries()); } else { System.out.printf("Bummer the word was %s. :(\n", mGame.getAnswer()); } }

In the code above we had to make a method, getAnswer, to establish a variable for the answer.

Why can't we just say;

System.out.printf("Bummer the word was %s. :(\n", game.mAnswer);

mAnswer is a string with the answer in it. Why doesnt that work?

Timothy McCune
Timothy McCune
6,744 Points

The Prompter class is not allowed to access our Game classes private member variables. In fact, the only class that can access the Game classes private member variables, is the game class.

2 Answers

Fernando Szymczak
Fernando Szymczak
17,372 Points
Fernando Szymczak
Fernando Szymczak
17,372 Points

I feel like I'm missing the point on the reason for making mAnswer private. I'm pretty sure there must be a good reason for this, but I just keep wondering why would I want to go the trouble of making the code lengthier and in a way that requires adding extra functions, when a public mAnswer would allow me to do mGame.mAnswer to get the answer. The logic behind this must have just gone straight over my head. I wonder if I'm missing the actual meaning of private in Java, as in private from who or what?? And is it necessary when it comes to hangman or is it just the practice in Java development?

Craig Dennis
Craig Dennis
Treehouse Teacher
Craig Dennis
Craig Dennis
Treehouse Teacher

Hi Fernando!

Keeping your fields private allow you to expose how your object is intended to work. If we only make one getAnswer method, that means that you cannot change the answer, only retrieve it. You are right, it is a Java practice and the idea is relatable to the concept of properties in other languages. The answer is that it is private to any code outside of the current class.

You are also right that it is extra work, good news is most IDEs (and Code Editors) do all the monotonous stuff for you. We'll get there shortly!

That help?

Timothy McCune
Timothy McCune
6,744 Points
Timothy McCune
Timothy McCune
6,744 Points

In this example, it doesnt make a lot of sense to make the property private. However, this is an entry level course on programming. Therefore, it is a good idea to teach us good programming practices. And keeping class properties off limits to other classes or other parts of the application is a good programming practice. Imagine this were a gigantic application, with hundreds of classes and multiple people working on the project. You start to get odd behavior with the propert. With a public property, u might have to sift through a million lines of code, to figure out who is changing the propertiies value. Wasting valuable time debugging, when u could have made the property private from the beginning and using getter and setter functions to change or retrieve its value.

Hope that made sense, Tim