Strange Pointer Problems

[HyperFlexed]

I am trying to create an array of objects like so:

code:

MyObject arrayOfObjects = new MyObject[arbitraryNumberOfElements];

however, when I set any element to have a certain value using a method in my object, all of the objects in the array have their values changed to those values.

My hypothesis is that every element in the array is pointing to a single object, anyone know why this is happening? The due date for my project is impending... all my bits and worship to whoever can help me.

[wtd]

When you create a new array of objects in Java, you've simply created space for those objects. You have not initialized any of those objects. They are all "null".

[HyperFlexed]

Then:

1) how is at least one object existing?
2) how can I make these pointers point to objects/how do I create the objects?

When I assign an array element a value should I go

myArray[element] = new MyObject (params); ???

When I did this, I was having the issue still where modifying one item would make the values the same at every array element.

[wtd]

I'll need to see the rest of your code. I suspect you're getting caught by the reference nature of objects.

[HyperFlexed]

In logo.java, there is a method called runLogoFile or something similar, it's the one giving me trouble. Excuse my use of the Console class, all part of the course but I do plan on learning the real way.

I have attached the LogoCmd class as well.

edit : attached a test data file, final.logo.

[wtd]

I see this:

Java:

LogoCmd[] commands = new LogoCmd [commandsInFile];

And then in a loop a few lines later I see:

Java:

commands [cmdCounter].setValues ((String) tokens.get (tok), Integer.parseInt ((String) tokens.get (tok + 1)));

But in between there is no initialization of the contents of the "commands" array.

[HyperFlexed]

I tried doing this, to no avail... Is this proper?

code:

//Fill array with buffer objects         for (int object = 1; object <= commandsInFile; object++)         {             commands [object-1] = new LogoCmd ("fd",-1);         }

[wtd]

Possibly. Honestly, your code is very awkward to read, and is hard to debug, especially since I don't have the HSA classes, and therefore cannot compile the code.

Perhaps if you showed me the exact error messages and the exact code you're using at the time, I could help.

[HyperFlexed]

But I'm not getting error messages

I'm just going to fudge this one tommorow. I'll make 2 arrays, one for the string commands, and one for the integer magnitudes, pass with a 70 and conquer this stupidness another day when my mark doesn't depend on it.

be it resolved that deadlines suck. Thanks for the help though. Bah, I still have world history homework.

Oh, and any one thing that makes my code akward to read? Maybe I should improve my skills.


Also, if one were making an array of objects, what would be the right way so that all the elements aren't null? You said my for loop would "possibly" work, but how would you do it? (seeing as you seem very knowledgeable about programming)

[HyperFlexed]

My teacher and I solved the problem. If you look in the source to the LogoCmd class, you'll notice some of the variables were declared as static. From what I half gather they would not have been constructed when the class was instantiated? The vars were static because some of my methods were also static which I learned you don't do in a class....

JAVA IS MESSY! wow. It makes no sense.

I'm not fully sure what static does anymore, but I have learned that I don't like it

Can anyone enlighten me as to static's true purpose?

[wtd]

My tutorial has a good section on static context.

[HyperFlexed]

So if a method is static in a class when the class is instantiated, does that mean that the method won't be useable in the sense of an object? I gathered that much on a site, it said that static methods apply to all objects of a given type rather than the objects of that type.

I see now what static does, but I can't think of any uses for it.

[wtd]

You have to think in terms of context.

There is a class context, and there is an object context. Objects carry with them their own object context, but also the context of the class they belong to.

Thus static methods can be used in either the class or object context. However, static methods do not have an object context, and thus we cannot implicitly use object methods within a static method.