why doesn't this work?

[Sam Smoot]

The compiler says it can't see the file1 and file2 .readLine() methods in the getLine method. Why?

  
   import java.io.*;
   import java.util.*;
    class CompareFiles{
    
       public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
       
         String line1 = "";
         String line2 = "";
         
         int lineNumber = 0;
       
         FileReader fr1 = new FileReader("input1.txt");
         BufferedReader file1 = new BufferedReader(fr1);
         FileReader fr2 = new FileReader("input2.txt");
         BufferedReader file2 = new BufferedReader(fr2);
      
      
         line1 = getLine(line1);
         line2 = getLine(line2);
         
         while(line1 != "EOF" || line2 != "EOF"){
            lineNumber++;
         
            if(line1.equals(line2)){
               System.out.println("Line " + lineNumber + " is the same. \n\n" + line1 + "\n\n" );
            }
            else{
               System.out.println("Line " + lineNumber + " is NOT same.\n");
               System.out.println(line1 + "\n\n" + line2 + "\n\n");
            }
            line1 = getLine(line1);
            line2 = getLine(line2);
         }
      }
       private static String getLine(String inFile) {
       
         String line = "";
         try{
            if(inFile.equals("line1")){
               line = file1.readLine();
            }
            else{
               line = file2.readLine();
            }
         }
             catch(FileNotFoundException fnf){
               System.out.println("File not found -- Process Halted");
            }
             catch(NullPointerException npe){
               if(line == null){
                  line = "EOF";
               }
            }
         return line;
      }
   
   }

[Dirk Schreckmann]

Within the scope of the getLine method, what is a file1 and a file2? (I can see them clearly in the main method.)

[Sam Smoot]

That's what I want to know... file1 and file2 are BufferedReader's defined in main. Why doesn't it see them in getLine()?
Ok, bright Idea... what if read the files completely in the getLine method into 2 separate array lists and compare the entries that way?
[ November 26, 2002: Message edited by: Sam Smoot ]

[Gregg Bolinger]

file1 and file2 are defined in your main method. That's why getLine() can't see them. SCOPE SCOPE SCOPE. You either need to define your file1 and file2 outside of main() or, a better idea, pass them to your getLine(BufferedReader file1, BufferedReader file2) method.

[Sam Smoot]

Well clean my boots and pluck the chickens... This worked...
[I've been "Struts'ing" too much... forgot how to code...]
Thanks!

 
// call to method
            line1 = getLine(file1);
            line2 = getLine(file2);

// Method
 private static String getLine(BufferedReader inFile)throws IOException {
      
         String line = "";
         try{
            line = inFile.readLine();
         }
             catch(FileNotFoundException fnf){
               System.out.println("File not found -- Process Halted");
            }
      
         if(line == null)
            line = "EOF";
       
         return line;
      }