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Java Java Objects (Retired) Creating the MVP Strings and Chars

Vinayak Gadag
Vinayak Gadag
749 Points
Posted by Vinayak Gadag
Vinayak Gadag
749 Points

getting error

compilation error.

ScrabblePlayer.java 
public class ScrabblePlayer {
    private String mHand;

    public ScrabblePlayer() {
        mHand = "";
    }

    public String getHand() {
       return mHand;
    }

    public void addTile(char tile) {
        // Adds the tile to the hand of the player
      mHand += tile;

    }

    public boolean hasTile(char tile) {
      boolean isTile = addTile.indexOf('t') >= 0;
      if(isTile){
        return true;
      }else{
        return false;
      }
    }
}

1 Answer

Philip Gales
Philip Gales
15,193 Points
Philip Gales
Philip Gales
15,193 Points

First, we have this error:

Bummer! There is a compiler error. Please click on preview to view your syntax errors!

So we click on preview and find this:

./ScrabblePlayer.java:19: error: cannot find symbol boolean isTile = addTile.indexOf('t') >= 0; ^

This is the symptom of a larger problem, not understanding objects and methods.

Whenever you use a .method() like .indexOf(), or anything else that has a . and a () then you need to use it on an object. An object is an instance of a class. In this case, you tried using it on addTitle, which is a method .addTitle() found in your ScrabblePlayer class. .indexOf() is a is a method found in the String class.

The only String object we have is mHand, so change addTitle for mHand:

boolean isTile = mHand.indexOf('t') >= 0;

Next, we need to fix the 't'. What goes inside .indexOf is a char, like tile. Because tile is a variable, and not a literal String we do not need quotes around it. We use tile because that is what is passed into the .hasTile(char tile) method. Your final code should look like:

    public boolean hasTile(char tile) {
      boolean isTile = mHand.indexOf(tile) >= 0; //<--------------changed mHand and tile.
      if(isTile){
        return true;
      }else{
        return false;
      }
    }