Formatting Boolean Method to Work With Java Swing Applet

[Lexi Turgeon]

This is my code:

private void convertNameActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                            
       public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
        return name.indexOf(',') >= 0;
    }
    public static String convertName(String name) {
        if (hasComma(name)) {
            return name;
        } else {
            int index = name.indexOf(' ');
            String first = name.substring(0, index);
            String last = name.substring(index + 1);
            String newName = last + ", " + first;
            return newName;
        } 
    }                        

How do I make it so that the boolean method works under the "convertNameActionPerformed" method?

[Knute Snortum]

hasComma() isn't part of convertNameActionPerformed(), is it?  Have you tried putting hasComma() outside of convertNameActionPerformed()?

[Lexi Turgeon]

Knute Snortum wrote:hasComma() isn't part of convertNameActionPerformed(), is it?  Have you tried putting hasComma() outside of convertNameActionPerformed()?

Netbeans does not let me. Any other ideas? This is the compiler error.

Compiling 1 source file to /Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/build/classes
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/src/NameAppletTwo.java:109: error: illegal start of expression
       public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/src/NameAppletTwo.java:109: error: illegal start of expression
       public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/src/NameAppletTwo.java:109: error: ';' expected
       public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/src/NameAppletTwo.java:109: error: ')' expected
       public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/src/NameAppletTwo.java:109: error: illegal start of expression
       public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/src/NameAppletTwo.java:109: error: ';' expected
       public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
6 errors
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/nbproject/build-impl.xml:930: The following error occurred while executing this line:
/Users/lexi/NetBeansProjects/NameAppletTwo/nbproject/build-impl.xml:270: Compile failed; see the compiler error output for details.
BUILD FAILED (total time: 2 seconds)

[Campbell Ritchie]

You would appear to be trying to write a method inside another method. That is not permitted.

[Lexi Turgeon]

How would I get the "hasComma" and "convertName" to work under the "convertNameActionPreformed"?

[Knute Snortum]

I guess my question is, why wouldn't they work outside of convertNameActionPreformed?  Back up a bit and tell us what you're trying to do.

[Lexi Turgeon]

Knute Snortum wrote:I guess my question is, why wouldn't they work outside of convertNameActionPreformed?  Back up a bit and tell us what you're trying to do.

My apologies. So what I need to do in this program is take a name ex. "Joe Smith" and convert it to "Smith, Joe". I have all the code correct (as I had previously created a project and just have to put it into applet form). My question is, how do I make it so that my String strName = inputName.getText(); line can work under/with public static String convertName(String name) . The problem that NetBeans is telling me is that String strName = inputName.getText(); is a "non-static variable inputName cannot be referenced from a static context". How would I fix this?

private void convertNameActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                            
        String name = null;
        String strName = inputName.getText();
        if (name == "") {
            return;
        } else {
            outputName.setText(convertName(name));
        }
    }
public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
        return name.indexOf(',') >= 0;
        }
    public static String convertName(String name) {
        String strName = inputName.getText();
        if (hasComma(strName)) {
            return name;
        } else {
            int index = name.indexOf(' ');
            String first = name.substring(0, index);
            String last = name.substring(index + 1);
            String newName = last + ", " + first;
            return newName;
        }    
    }                        

[Knute Snortum]

Is there some reason why hasComma() and convertName() are static?

[Lexi Turgeon]

Knute Snortum wrote:Is there some reason why hasComma() and convertName() are static?

That is just how I had it formatted when I made it regularly. Now I have to make it so that it can be used in an applet.

[Campbell Ritchie]

if (name == "") ??? (line 4) As you can see here, that test is bound to fail if an empty String is passed.
name.indexOf(',') >= 0 ??? (line 11) That will work, but it isn't elegant.
Both those bits of code shou‍ld be replaced by calls to methods of the String object which tell you whether a String is empty or whether that String contains another String.

[Lexi Turgeon]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:if (name == "") ??? (line 4) As you can see here, that test is bound to fail if an empty String is passed.
name.indexOf(',') >= 0 ??? (line 11) That will work, but it isn't elegant.
Both those bits of code shou‍ld be replaced by calls to methods of the String object which tell you whether a String is empty or whether that String contains another String.

private void convertNameActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                            
        String name = null;
        String strName = inputName.getText();
        if (name == strName) {
            return;
        } else {
            outputName.setText(convertName(name));
    }    
    }
public static boolean hasComma(String name) {
        return name.indexOf(',') >= 0;
        }
    public static String convertName(String strName) {
        if (hasComma(strName)) {
            return strName;
        } else {
            int index = strName.indexOf(' ');
            String first = strName.substring(0, index);
            String last = strName.substring(index + 1);
            String newName = last + ", " + first;
            return newName;
        } 
        
    
    }                                           

        
        

    // Variables declaration - do not modify                     
    private javax.swing.JButton convertName;
    private javax.swing.JLabel enterNameLabel;
    private javax.swing.JTextField inputName;
    private javax.swing.JTextField outputName;
    // End of variables declaration                   
}

This is my code now. It is all correct and NetBeans says it is as well. But when I run the java file, the java screen pops up but the program does not work when I hit the convert button.

[Knute Snortum]

private void convertNameActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                            
        String name = null;
        String strName = inputName.getText();
        if (name == strName) {
            return;
        } else {
            outputName.setText(convertName(name));
       }     
}

What's the value of the argument being sent to convertName(name)?

[Lexi Turgeon]

Knute Snortum wrote:

private void convertNameActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                            
        String name = null;
        String strName = inputName.getText();
        if (name == strName) {
            return;
        } else {
            outputName.setText(convertName(name));
       }     
}

What's the value of the argument being sent to convertName(name)?

The inputed name that was converted.

[Knute Snortum]

Unless I'm missing something, name is null.  Where does name get set except to null?

[Lexi Turgeon]

Knute Snortum wrote:Unless I'm missing something, name is null.  Where does name get set except to null?

Name should be set to the newName but I am not sure how to do that. newName comes from the convertName method. How would I get that to work?

[Knute Snortum]

Let me clear some code out of the way, and see if this makes sense:

        String name = null;
        // ...
        outputName.setText(convertName(name));

What are you sending into convertName()?

[Lexi Turgeon]

Knute Snortum wrote:Let me clear some code out of the way, and see if this makes sense:

        String name = null;
        // ...
        outputName.setText(convertName(name));

What are you sending into convertName()?

I want to set the converted name into it.

[Knute Snortum]

outputName.setText( ... );

With this part of the code, you are setting the text of outputName, which I assume is a label.  Whatever "..." evaluates to will be what is set.

Now, "..." is this:

convertName(name)

You are calling the method convertName and passing the argument name.

But there's a problem: name is null, not the name to convert.  You need to pass convertName the correct argument.

String strName = inputName.getText();

Here you are setting the variable strName to the text of inputName, which I'm assuming is a textField.  So what variable name should you pass to convertName?

[Lexi Turgeon]

Knute Snortum wrote:

outputName.setText( ... );

With this part of the code, you are setting the text of outputName, which I assume is a label.  Whatever "..." evaluates to will be what is set.

Now, "..." is this:

convertName(name)

You are calling the method convertName and passing the argument name.

But there's a problem: name is null, not the name to convert.  You need to pass convertName the correct argument.

String strName = inputName.getText();

Here you are setting the variable strName to the text of inputName, which I'm assuming is a textField.  So what variable name should you pass to convertName?

This solved my problem! Thank you so much!