Thread: Minesweeper in eclipse

Hi guys,

I have just started learning java in Eclipse and was wondering about this:

I have tried to make a minesweeper application (just threw myself into the deep end there) and have created a class that fills a [field_size][field_size][2] multidimensional array with:

1st. 0's and 1's for no bombs and bombs, respectively,
2nd. the number of mines surrounding each coördinate (1 to 8, 9 if its a mine itself) in that first part.

All in one class file. I have never worked with projects that involved multiple class files yet. Now the thing is, I want to know how I can make this class that I have into a method that can provide another class with this randomly filled matrix. I suppose that if I am going to write the rest of the minesweeper app in the same class, and I have to run it again and again after clicking a box (no idea how to do that yet btw) it would create a new minefield every time, which would pretty much ruin the whole idea of the game.

Code so far, which I am quite proud of:

package part1;
 
public class msw {
 
	public static void main(String[] args) {
 
		int field_size=10;
		int numberofmines=10;
		int[][][]field=new int[field_size][field_size][3];
		//fill field with 0's
		for(int i=0;i<field_size;i++)
		{
			for(int j=0;j<field_size;j++)
			{
				field[i][j][1]=0;
			}
		}
		// pick mines
		for (int i=0;i<numberofmines;i++)
		{
			int rx =(int)(Math.random()*field_size);
			int ry =(int)(Math.random()*field_size);
			if (field[rx][ry][1]==1)
				i=i-1;
			else
			field[rx][ry][1]=1;
		}
		// print field[x][x][1] (for debugging purposes)
		for (int i=0;i<field_size;i++)
		{
			for(int j=0;j<field_size;j++)
			{
				System.out.print(field[i][j][1]+" ");
			}
			System.out.println();
		}
		// fill field[x][x][2] with amount of mines surrounding a coordinate in field[x][x][1]
		for(int i=0;i<field_size;i++)
		{
			for(int j=0;j<field_size;j++)
			{
				for(int k=-1;k<2;k++)
				{
					for(int l=-1;l<2;l++)
					{
						if (field[i][j][1]==1)
							field[i][j][2]=9;
						else
						{
							if (i+k<0)
								k=k+1;
							if (j+l<0)
								l=l+1;
							if (i+k>field_size)
								k=2;
							if (j+l>field_size)
								l=2;
							if (i+k<field_size&&j+l<field_size&&k<2&&l<2)
							{	
								if (field[i+k][j+l][1]==1)
									field[i][j][2]=field[i][j][2]+1;
							}			
						}
					}
				}
			}
		}
		// printing 2nd part of matrix
		System.out.println();
		for (int i=0;i<field_size;i++)
		{
			for(int j=0;j<field_size;j++)
			{
				System.out.print(field[i][j][2]+" ");
			}
			System.out.println();
		}
	}
}

Any help is most welcome.

I don't know what a main is, and I have only vague ideas about what a method is. Would like to know what they are

And since you don't know what main() is, I suggest you start with the discussion that follows the HelloWorld tutorial.