MOOC Factorial help

[Mike Skyriach]

Hello guys.  I want to avoid using the internet to look up for a solution to solve a factorial by typing in a number after being asked for it, then have it calculate from 1*2*3 = 6 if I ask it to return a factorial for the number 3.   The calculation is supposed to come out as 6 for n=3.  However, for my code, the answer comes out as 4, not 6 for when n=3.  Can anyone give me a tip or help me think other way to get this done right without giving me an answer, please.  Appreciate it!

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Factorial {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner reader = new Scanner(System.in);
        int read, i = 1;
        System.out.print("Type a number: ");
        read = Integer.parseInt(reader.nextLine());
        while (i <= read) {
            i *= read;
            i++;
        }
        System.out.println("Factorial is: "+i);
    }
}

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Mike,
You are using i to mean two different things. Try to work out the factorial on paper. What information do you need to keep track of? Picture it as two columns.

[Mike Skyriach]

Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:Mike,
You are using i to mean two different things. Try to work out the factorial on paper. What information do you need to keep track of? Picture it as two columns.

Thanks for the quick reply!  I see..

I assume I have to declare another int variable.
1x2 = 2
2 x 3 = 6.

So I suppose I need to assign the next loop of the previous answer and multiply by the next incremental value.

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Mike Skyriach wrote:I assume I have to declare another int variable.
1x2 = 2
2 x 3 = 6.

So I suppose I need to assign the next loop of the previous answer and multiply by the next incremental value.

Yup!

[Campbell Ritchie]

And don't use Integer.parseInt when the Scanner object can do the parsing for you.

[Mike Skyriach]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:And don't use Integer.parseInt when the Scanner object can do the parsing for you.

Really?  Why is the mooc.fi course teaching me to use Integer.parseInt and not Scanner parse method?  What's the difference between those two methods?

[Campbell Ritchie]

Mike Skyriach wrote:. . . Why is the mooc.fi course teaching me to use Integer.parseInt and not Scanner parse method?

Good question. It is for them to justify why they are teaching that.

What's the difference between those two methods?

It isn't two methods; it is three. Integer.parseInt takes a String already provided, and Scanner.nextInt takes a file or the keyboard or similar and reads directly to an int. Note the names of the methods.You need some way to get the String into your program before you can parse it, so you need a preceding method call to get the text to parse.
The parseInt and nextInt methods are related to each other, but they throw different exceptions if your format is wrong. You can catch such exceptions, but you can avoid all Exceptions from the keyboard by combining nextInt and hasNextInt, as Rob Spoor taught me a long time ago.

while (!inputScanner.hasNextInt())
{
   inputScanner.next(); // Necessary to discard incorrect input.
   System.out.print("Incorrect format for number: please try again: ");
}
i = inputScanner.nextInt();

Lines 3 and 4 may go in either order.
[edit]That code will not throw exceptions as long as System.in remains open. It will not work reliably for reading files.