Thread: Combining arrays and counting vowels in String arrays

Thank you so much, that did it!

Are you (or is anyone) able to help with the counting vowels one, please? I'm so stumped. Any hints on how I do this would be so great. I just have no idea. Would it be similar to how I did the combine words? Would I somehow have to input each word to a new string and then write something so it looks for a vowel in that word?

Originally Posted by Norm

What does the code do now?
How do you want to change what it does?
What is the desired output?

I am trying to figure out how to count vowels in a string array so I can find the word with the least vowels. If two or more words have the fewest, I want the smaller of the two words.
If I have,
String[] wordList = {"hello", "hey", "expression", "both"};
How do I go about getting something back to say "hey"?

I have very little, so far because I don't know what to put in the method for minVowels. I don't understand how to use countVowels to help with minVowels.
I thought minVowels only tells me if the word has a vowel, I don't know understand if countVowels actually counts the number of the vowels in each word. All in all, I think I'm confused by this one altogether.

I'm a beginner and have only finished up to chapter 6 in CSAwesome (if that helps at all).

public static void main(String[] args)
   { 
String[] arr = {"hello", "hey", "expression", "both"};
System.out.println(minVowels(arr));		
	}
	public static String minVowels(String[] words)
	{     
	}
 
	public static int countVowels(String s)
	{
        int count = 0;        
        for(int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++)
        {
            if(isVowel(s.charAt(i)))
                count++;
        }
        return count;
 
	}
	public static boolean isVowel(char ch)
	{
		return ch == 'a' ||
			   ch == 'e' ||
			   ch == 'i' ||
			   ch == 'o' ||
			   ch == 'u';
}

Originally Posted by Norm

Ok, work out the logic for that.
Compare two words, save the smallest. Look at next word and compare its length against the smallest so far, save the smallest. Continue until at end of list of words. By then you will have saved the smallest.

Use a loop to work through the array of words. One way is the foreach loop, another way is to do the indexing yourself.

for(String word : arrayOfWords)
// here word has next word from array

for(int i=0; i < arrayOfWords.length; i++)
String word = arrayOfWords[i]; // get next word

Sorry, I'm not understanding this. Here's what I'm getting, I think, at least.

I need to loop through the array of words. A for each loop will do that cause it stops at each word, right?

So if I do:
for(String word : words)

that will get me to start with looking at the first word in the initial string (String[] arr) which is "hey"
From there, though, how do I look at each letter in hey using isVowels and countVowels?

I'm thinking since I used isVowels in countVowels, then I just use countVowels, right?

so would I use an if statement like I was doing below -- countVowels(word)?

I don't know if I'm even on the right track below, but that's what I was thinking maybe... the issue I'm having is I need a return statement and don't know how to get that so it gives me the word back. Maybe I'm overcomplicating it?

public static void main(String[] args)
   { 
        String[] arr = {"hey","yolo","hi","this is long"};
        System.out.println(minVowels(arr));
		//should print "hi"
	}
	public static String minVowels(String[] words)
	{
        for(String word : words)
        {
            for(int i = 0; i < word.length(); i++)
            {
                String[] track = new String[word.length()];
                word = words[i];
                if(countVowels(track[i]) > countVowels(track[i+1]))                
                {
                    track[i] = track[i+1];
 
                }
            }             
        }             
	}
 
	public static int countVowels(String s)
	{
        int count = 0;        
        for(int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++)
        {
            if(isVowel(s.charAt(i)))
                count++;
        }
        return count;
 
	}
	public static boolean isVowel(char ch)
	{
		return ch == 'a' ||
			   ch == 'e' ||
			   ch == 'i' ||
			   ch == 'o' ||
			   ch == 'u';
        }

Originally Posted by Norm

Design the program before trying to write code for it.
Explain what steps need to be taken to solve the problem.
First step would be to have a loop that looks at each word one at a time
Then what?

When you get a good list of the steps needed, then work on writing code for those steps.

Ok,
First step, like you said, a loop to look through each word one at a time
Second I need to count the vowels in each word
Third I need to compare the vowel count in each word
Fourth I need to return the word with the fewest vowels; if two words have this spot, I need the word that is shortest in length



So the first step would be a loop, like the for each loop
The second, an int to count the vowels
Third, if statements - if the vowel count of the first word is the same as the second word, then compare word.length for each and keep the shorter word. Otherwise, if vowel count of the first word is less than the second; keep the first one. Maybe this is a loop, too?
Fourth, return the word with fewest vowels

So, would I maybe make an array of integers to hold the vowel counts? Then make another for each loop and compare each number that way?