[extremeblueness]

Well, I was coding for the variables for my text adventure (I can't do input strings yet, so I'm just coding the variables that all of the controlling outside of user input), and I accidentally put an extra "s" in my code:

public class MedievalTextAdventure {
    public static void main (Strings args[]) {
        boolean NOTE = false, HOUSE = false, TREASURE = false, HAMMER = false, FROGS = false, FISH = false, FISHINGROD = false, GOLD = false, DOCTOR = false, OLDKEY = false, BUTTERFLYNET = false, HOUSE1 = false, HOUSE2 = false, HOUSE3 = false, HOUSE4 = false, HOUSE5 = false, ABANDONEDHOUSE = false, LAKE1 = false, LAKE2 = false, LAKE3 = false, LAKE4 = false, LAKE5 = false, LAKE6 = false, DOCTORSHOUSE = false, FISHMONGERY = false, gamerunning = true;
    }
}

Can you spot the misplaced "s"? It took a friend pointing it out before I found it, after over an hour of searching.

Needless to say, I felt stupid once my friend found it, but looking back, it seems somewhat funny.

This post has been edited by extremeblueness: 25 October 2012 - 07:20 AM

[darek9576]

Strings?
Why did it take you an hour? An IDE would highlight it.

[extremeblueness]

It took me an hour because BlueJ, the program I work with to work with Java, is stupid, and wouldn't point out my mistake.

[jon.kiparsky]

darek9576, on 25 October 2012 - 09:23 AM, said:

Strings?
Why did it take you an hour? An IDE would highlight it.

You don't need an IDE to see that. Just try to compile it, javac will point right at it.

Quote

It took me an hour because BlueJ, the program I work with to work with Java, is stupid, and wouldn't point out my mistake.

I've said it before, but it's worth saying again: nobody should ever use an IDE until they've written some non-trivial applications. This should have stood out to you like a turd on a dinner plate, and if you weren't training yourself to not see it, it would have.

This post has been edited by jon.kiparsky: 25 October 2012 - 07:37 AM

[extremeblueness]

I've been programming in java for less than a week!

[jon.kiparsky]

Then you definitely shouldn't be using an IDE...

[extremeblueness]

btw, what's an IDE? google definitions is confusing.

[darek9576]

whats confusing about it.

[jon.kiparsky]

"Integrated development environment" - a sort of agglomeration of text editor and compiler with a lot of misfeatures that keep you from learning the language, like syntax highlighting and auto-completion.

I haven't used BlueJ, but it looks like it's in that category.

[extremeblueness]

The only thing it has in that list is syntax highlighting.

[jon.kiparsky]

So it is. However, it does walk you past a lot of the boilerplate, which is actually important to understanding the language itself.

I still think that you shouldn't take shortcuts until you know how to write the code yourself.

[shrik450]

extremeblueness, on 25 October 2012 - 07:33 AM, said:

It took me an hour because BlueJ, the program I work with to work with Java, is stupid, and wouldn't point out my mistake.

Yup, I've had my fair share of trouble with BlueJ. However, as the others are saying, you should have started out with command line. Then move on to eclipse.

[DarenR]

you can download jgrasp or netbeans free. Those will help you with errors.

[extremeblueness]

You do realize that I had only been coding for four days when I made the mistake, don't you? I don't make these types of errors anymore. I posted it because I thought it might be funny.

[Lemur]

Either way, for the sake of future reference, I would take Jon up on that advice.

IDEs are a crutch to an amateur, and a tool for a professional. The topic's been covered often enough that I'd be beating a dead horse.