Non-static variable cannot be referenced from static context

[Amil Mehmedagic]

I am getting the error message non-static variable clockwise cannot be referenced from a static context, when running the program code below. How do I counter this problem?
The program below asks a user to input a probability and number of circles.
The program then animates the input number of circles around a square of side 400 pixels. At each move there is a probability that each circle moves anticlockwise. If it does so the variable count counts that circle.
When all circles are moving anticlockwise, the animation needs to stop.
Below is the code of the two classes. The error occurs in the main method of the Main class. This is where I check whether a circle moves anticlockwise to assign it to the count variable.
Please help in solving the above problem!

public class Circle {
 
  private int x, y;
  public boolean clockwise=true;
  private int radius=10;
  private int step=5;
  private int side=400;
  private double prob;
  
 
  //Constructors; The following method sets the position of the 
  //required circles, x and y
  //position respectively and sets the value for the instance 
  //variable prob for each circle object.
  
  public Circle(int i, double p) {
    x=(i*2*radius)+radius;
    y=radius;
    prob=p;
  }
   
  public void move () {
                                
        if (clockwise) {
          if (Math.random() < prob)      
          clockwise = false;
              
          if (y == radius && x < side) {   
              
              x = x + step;               
              }
          else if (x == side && y < side)  {
              
              y = y + step;
              }
          else if (y == side && x <= side && x > radius)  {
              
              x = x - step; 
          }
          else if (x == radius && y <= side && y > radius)  { 
              y = y - step;
              }
        }
          
          else {
        
            if (x == radius && y < side)   {
            
              y = y + step;
            }
          else if (y == side && x < side)  {
            
              x = x + step;
          }
          else if (x == side && y > radius && y <= side)  {
            
              y = y - step;
          }
          else if (y == radius && x <= side && x > radius)  {
              
              x = x - step;
          }   
          } 
          
    } 
  // These are used for drawing circles.
  public int      getX() {return x;}
  public int      getY() {return y;}
  public int      getRadius() {return radius;}
  public boolean  clockwise() {return clockwise;}
}
 
public class Main {
  
  public static void main (String [ ] args) { 
    int i;
    int circles = DialogBox.requestInt("Number of circles?");
    double prob = DialogBox.requestDouble(
        "Probability of a clockwise circle changing direction");  
    int count = 0;
   
    Circle [] circle = new Circle [circles];
    i=0;
    while (i!=circles) {    
      circle[i]= new Circle(i,prob);
      circle[i].move();
      i=i+1;
    }
    CirclesFigure.create( );
    CirclesFigure.draw(circle);
    while (true) {
    for (int j = 0; j < circles; j++) {
    Delay.milliseconds(20);
    circle[j].move();
    CirclesFigure.draw(circle);
   if (Circle.clockwise = false) 
    count = count + 1;
    if (count == circles) { }
    }
  }
   
  }
   
}

[ edited to break long lines and remove the evil tab character -ds ]
[ April 27, 2004: Message edited by: Dirk Schreckmann ]

[Mike Gershman]

For one thing,

  if (Circle.clockwise = false)  

should be

    if (circle.clockwise = false) 

Since clockwise is an instance variable.
IMHO, your convention of naming a reference to an object the lower case of the object class name is pretty error-prone.

[Jeroen Wenting]

More correctly it should be

if (circle.clockwise == false) 

else you have an assignment instead of a comparison.
Which doesn't solve the problem that you're calling instance variables from static code, something that's simply impossible.
Either make sure you have an instance to call (create one...) or make the variable static (if possible).
Any book or tutorial should be able to help you out in this, it's so basic.
Repeat: you cannot use instance variables from static code (after all, the static code doesn't belong to any instance so how can it know about the value of an instance variable???).

[Tobias Huebner]

The problem is that you don't have a instance of the Class Circle called "Circle" !!!
But you want to call on "Circle". Remember java is case-sensetive.

 if (Circle.clockwise = false)  

All you have is an array of the type Circle called "circle".

  Circle [] circle = new Circle [circles]; 

You should instanciate the class Circle and use the clockwise variable like this:

 Circle myCircle = new Circle(); 
 if(myCircle.clockwise == false){}

But in your case I think you might want to use the array of Circle you already have:

 if(circle[j].clockwise == false){} 

since you are in a loop.
I hope i was of some help for you. This was my first posting.
So good luck :0)
[ April 26, 2004: Message edited by: Tobias Huebner ]
[ April 27, 2004: Message edited by: Tobias Huebner ]