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Java Java Objects Creating the MVP Counting Scrabble Tiles

isaac schwartzman
isaac schwartzman
963 Points

Stuck on task 2 of 2 Scrabble counting tiles

I'm so lost and I can't continue

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 a (char letter) {
int getCountOfTile = 0;
  int countOfTiles = 0;
  for (char x : tiles.toCharArray()){
  if (tiles.charAt(x) != -1){
  countOfTiles ++; } 
    countOfTiles == getCountOfTiles;
      }
  } }

2 Answers

Hi Isaac,

Task 1 hasn't been completed here. For that you need to Create a new method named getCountOfLetter that returns an int, and requires a parameter of type char named letter.

So, you need a public method that returns an int called getCountOfLetter which takes a char called letter. Put that code all together and you get:

  public int getCountOfLetter(char letter){
    return 0;
  }

Next, Now in your new method, have it return a number representing the count of tiles that match the letter that was passed in to the method. You've made a good start on this as you've identified that you need a for loop and to convert tiles into toCharArray(). That loops through each letter, storing each in x at each iteration. You want to compare that x to the letter passed in. if they are equal, increment a counter variable. Again, you've done that. Return the counter variable after the loop ends.

Your test isn't quite right because you've tried to compare to -1. That's an indicator that the character is in the string/array, rather than being at that position. You tried tiles.charAt(x). Unfortunately, x is a char, not an index number but it was a good effort.

Just use double equals to compare x to letter.

To simplify your code, you'll end up with:

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

I hope that makes sense.

Steve.

I called the char the letter l (it isn't the figure 1) as the word letter has already been used. I could have called it anything but, since it represents a single character, I used a one-letter variable name. Had letter not already been taken, I'd have used that.

Looking back, I should have used tile rather than l. That makes more grammatical sense.

for(char tile : tiles.toCharArray()){
  // do stuff
}

It can be called anything - but using something relevant is easier to read. So a single character for a char or the singular version of the array name is sensible.

But it isn't, and nor can it be, a number - you can't start a variable name with a number.

Make sense?

Steve.

[EDIT: Commenter deleted their contribution - I'll leave this here for the record anyway - srh]

shu Chan
shu Chan
2,951 Points

Thanks Steve sorry I deleted the question thinking it was a stupid question but you made a lot of sense

Hey - there's no such thing as a stupid question. These pages are designed to answer any query at all with no judgement - ask away! I'll happily answer anything as it wasn't that long ago I didn't understand the concepts covered in these courses. We can all gain from questions being asked and answers being provided so keep being curious and ask what's on your mind.

Steve. :+1: