Thread: Trouble Updating an Array

I have a Windows OS, the double slashes worked before I changed the arrays to arraylists. Also, I'll try combining all that code into one method and see if that helps.

Thankfully good ol' "printlns" pointed me in the right direction again. It appears that the problem might not be with the arraylist in the Level class, but with the way my JPanel interprets it.

JPanel Code:

for(int y = 0; y < (l.getlevelsizey()); y++){
				for(int x = 0; x < l.getlevelsizex(); x++){
					if(l.getLevel(x,y).equals("g")){
						g.drawImage(l.getGrassEK(),x*32,y*32,null);
					}
					if(l.getLevel(x,y).equals("t")){
						g.drawImage(l.getGrassEKTop(),x*32,y*32,null);
					}
					if(l.getLevel(x,y).equals("w")){
						g.drawImage(l.getWaterEK(),x*32,y*32,null);
					}
				}
			}

Level Class Code (just in case):

package scorpioengine.main;
 
import java.awt.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.lang.*;
 
import javax.swing.ImageIcon;
 
public class Level {
 
	private Scanner l;
	private Scanner lh;
	private String Header[] = new String[5];
 
	private String stringlevelsizex = "13";
	private String stringlevelsizey = "13";
	private String stringmusic = "1";
	private String stringtileset = "1";
 
	private int levelsizex = Integer.parseInt(stringlevelsizex);
	private int levelsizey = Integer.parseInt(stringlevelsizey);
	private int music = Integer.parseInt(stringmusic);
	private int tileset = Integer.parseInt(stringtileset);
 
	private ArrayList<String> Level1 = new ArrayList<String>();
 
	private Image grassek,
	              grassektop,
	              waterek,
	              path1,
	              path2;
 
	public Level(){
 
		ImageIcon img = new ImageIcon("C://CWWGFX//GrassmainEKlarge.PNG");
		grassek=img.getImage();
		img = new ImageIcon("C://CWWGFX//ChompPortrait.PNG");
		grassektop=img.getImage();
		img = new ImageIcon("C://CWWGFX//EKWaterLarge.PNG");
		waterek=img.getImage();
		img = new ImageIcon("C://CWWGFX//Path1Large.PNG");
		path1=img.getImage();
		img = new ImageIcon("C://CWWGFX//Path2Large.PNG");
		path2=img.getImage();
 
		openHeader();
		readHeader();
		closeHeader();
 
		levelsizex = Integer.parseInt(stringlevelsizex);
		levelsizey = Integer.parseInt(stringlevelsizey);
		music = Integer.parseInt(stringmusic);
		tileset = Integer.parseInt(stringtileset);
 
		File();
		//readFile();
		//closeFile();
 
	}
 
	public Image getGrassEK(){
		return grassek;
	}
 
	public Image getGrassEKTop(){
		return grassektop;
	}
 
	public Image getWaterEK(){
		return waterek;
	}
 
	public Image getPath1(){
		return path1;
	}
	public Image getPath2(){
		return path2;
	}
 
	public String getLevel(int x, int y){
		String index = Level1.get(x & y);
		return index;
	}
	public int getlevelsizex(){
		return levelsizex;
	}
	public int getlevelsizey(){
		return levelsizey;
	}
 
	public void openHeader(){
 
		try{
		lh = new Scanner(new File("C://CWWLEVELS//world1stage1cfg.txt"));
		}catch(Exception e){
			System.out.println("error loading configuration file");
		}
 
	}
 
	public void readHeader(){
 
	while(lh.hasNext()){
		for(int i=0; i < 1; i++){
			stringlevelsizex=lh.next();
		}
		for(int i=1; i < 2; i++){
			stringlevelsizey=lh.next();
		}
		for(int i=2; i < 3; i++){
			stringmusic=lh.next();
		}
		for(int i=3; i < 4; i++){
			stringtileset=lh.next();
		}
	}
 
	}
 
	public void closeHeader(){
 
	lh.close();
 
	}
 
 
	public void File(){
 
		try{
		l = new Scanner(new File("C://CWWLEVELS//world1stage1.txt"));
		while(l.hasNext()){
			for(int i=0; i < ((levelsizey)); i++){
				Level1.add(i,l.next());
			}
		}
		l.close();
		}catch(Exception e){
			System.out.println("error loading map");
		}
 
	}
 
public void readFile(){
 
	while(l.hasNext()){
		for(int i=0; i < ((levelsizey)); i++){
			Level1.add(i,l.next());
		}
	}
 
	}
 
public void closeFile(){
 
	l.close();
 
}
 
}

Lets hope that the next thing changed will be the last, I can't help but feel I made a really stupid mistake somewhere...

Originally Posted by jps

What I meant in my previous suggestion on the combined methods is a little different. Maybe you should read that link again. But basically:

Note your open methods. Both of them. They both init a scanner to a file. They are (were) exact duplicates of code:

public void openHeader() {
	try {
		lh = new Scanner(new File("C://CWWLEVELS//world1stage1cfg.txt"));
	} catch (Exception e) {
		System.out.println("error loading configuration file");
	}
}
// And...
public void openFile() {
	try {
		l = new Scanner(new File("C://CWWLEVELS//world1stage1.txt"));
	} catch (Exception e) {
		System.out.println("error loading map");
	}
}

Just for a moment, imagine these two methods as one. If you took in a String with just one method, BAM! good to go. But don't run off just yet. Consider the following:

public void closeFile() {
	l.close();
}
// And...
public void closeHeader() {
	lh.close();
}

Look at how much less code it would be to add the close methods; Also combined in your all-in-one-method. So now if you was to toss your read methods into the middle of it, determine what you are working on, header or file, take proper action for either case, and close on the way out. Six methods become one, no code is repeated, and you can safely open/read/close your files without worry, assuming you set up your try catch finally block correctly. Reread that link on the try block. Even if you don't use the try block with resources, at least get some of this repeated code cleaned out, and cover your back side while you are reading the files.

Okay, I'll try to combine the methods further. I also think I figured out the problem with my level format. Instead of using a text file that goes sort of like this:

ggggg
ggggg
ggggg
ggggg
ggggg

to draw five rows of blocks where each g is in a grid, I need to figure out how to write the text file so it writes to the arraylist, and then the arraylist spawns objects at each location, like my old Game Maker prototype.

Example (though obviously not how it will be done):

spawn "ground" 0,0
spawn "ground" 32,0
...

This is the way I need my level format set up, object based, correct?

Well exactly what I need is a level format that allows an infinite amount of tiles on both the X and Y "axis" (for lack of a better word) I'm thinking that loading a list of objects to spawn from a file into the arraylist would be the way to go, but I'm not sure. Also, you probably wouldn't know what my prototype is, I never released it and made it just so I could quickly get a feel of how it would play.

Well, I might not need infinite, but I will need enough for full length levels. A relatively large max number, like 9999 should work (maybe not even that large). I will need larger levels than 5x5, that was just a simple example. Simply spawning the objects from top left to bottom right should be enough, but I will need the player to interact with certain objects in different ways (like, for instance, touching a spring object will make the character bounce upwards). I absolutely need the levels to be stored as external files and not be hardcoded. I plan to have a level editor as well as plenty of levels in the main game (which will be made in the editor, so ease of creation is top priority.

I'm assuming by spawning in objects, I only need the list once and then the objects themselves will take care of the rest. Any order of spawning the objects in will probably do, but the way I did it originally was start from the very top row from left to right, then going down row by row until the bottom. I'm pretty sure that this will cut it for a platformer game, but I could be wrong.