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Java Java Objects Creating the MVP Counting Scrabble Tiles

Shiva Lowy
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Shiva Lowy
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 3,240 Points
Posted by Shiva Lowy
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Shiva Lowy
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 3,240 Points

I am having a hard time.

I keep getting a syntax error for count++. I am not quite sure how to fix it. I rewatched the video but I am still lost. If anyone can help explain that would be much appreciated. Thanks!

ScrabblePlayer.java 
public class ScrabblePlayer {
  // A String representing all of the tiles that this player has
  private String tiles;

  public ScrabblePlayer() {
    tiles = "";
  }

  public String getTiles() {
    return tiles;
  }

  public void addTile(char tile) {
    tiles += tile;
  }

  public boolean hasTile(char tile) {
    return tiles.indexOf(tile) != -1;
  }
  public int getCountOfLetter (char letter) {
    return 0;
    for(char tile: tiles.toCharArray()){   
      if(tile == letter){     
        count++;      
    }
  }
    return count;
  }

}
Example.java 
// This code is here for example purposes only
public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    ScrabblePlayer player1 = new ScrabblePlayer();
    player1.addTile('d');
    player1.addTile('d');
    player1.addTile('p');
    player1.addTile('e');
    player1.addTile('l');
    player1.addTile('u');

    ScrabblePlayer player2 = new ScrabblePlayer();
    player2.addTile('z');
    player2.addTile('z');
    player2.addTile('y');
    player2.addTile('f');
    player2.addTile('u');
    player2.addTile('z');

    int count = 0;
    // This would set count to 1 because player1 has 1 'p' tile in her collection of tiles
    count = player1.getCountOfLetter('p');
    // This would set count to 2 because player1 has 2 'd'' tiles in her collection of tiles
    count = player1.getCountOfLetter('d');
    // This would set 0, because there isn't an 'a' tile in player1's tiles
    count = player1.getCountOfLetter('a');

    // This will return 3 because player2 has 3 'z' tiles in his collection of tiles
    count = player2.getCountOfLetter('z');
    // This will return 1 because player2 has 1 'f' tiles in his collection of tiles
    count = player2.getCountOfLetter('f');
  }
}

1 Answer

andren
andren
28,558 Points
andren
andren
28,558 Points

You get an error because you have not actually created a variable called count within the method. The ++ operator increases the number in an existing variable, it cannot be used to create a variable.

Also you have a return statement at the start of the method, once a method returns a value it stops running, so none of the code below that first return statement will actually ever run.

If you remove that return statement and create a count variable before you use it like this:

public int getCountOfLetter(char letter) {
    int count = 0;
    for(char tile: tiles.toCharArray()){   
        if(tile == letter){     
            count++;      
        }
    }
    return count;
}

Then your method will work fine.