Thread: Need a little guidance on overall Java

Hi guys!

So I've been thinking about creating a Hi-Lo game for the past few days as I am still really new to programming and I think it would be a small project for me. I have a few issues though that I am worried about.

My first issue is that I still find myself getting confused sometimes with method parameters.. I have no idea why but I seem to forget about them all the time when writing my code, even though I know how they work. Any ideas on how I can improve this? I also sometimes feel that even though I know what certain things in the Java language do, I don't know how to use them to the full potential. I practice a lot and read/watch about different topics but the examples are often very basic and not related to real world code.

Finally, when writing code I sometimes find myself jumping from class to class and I think is bad practice if I am correct? I've been working on my class structures to try and resolve this issue. Any tips for this?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post

Here's a tutorial that shows you how to write a higher/lower game in Java: Higher/Lower - Tutorials - Static Void Games

But the best advice I can give you is to START SMALL and TEST OFTEN. Instead of trying to write your whole program and jump from class to class, test a single line at a time. Test a single method at a time. Make sure that the small piece you're working on works before moving on to the next step. Trying to combine a bunch of half-working pieces is just going to give you a headache.

What do you mean by forgetting method parameters? Are you using an IDE like Eclipse? If so, attach javadocs to your methods. When you are using Eclipse (or other IDEs like it), you are given "suggestions" when typing (such as a list of methods you can use and such). If a method had a javadoc attached, it will show up alongside the suggestion.
In the javadoc, you would explain the purpose of each parameter.

Like all things, start from the foundation. When coding an OO language (like Java), your foundation is usually your model classes. Model classes are concrete things. Like if you have a Tree class, or a Person class, or whatever. These are part of the model, and they should be set up to some extent in the beginning.

Think "type". The listener variable is of type: ActionListener. This means that regardless of what is assigned to the listener variable, only methods from the ActionListener class can be used.
RockPaperListener is a subclass (or: subtype) of ActionListener. An instance of RockPaperListener can be assigned to a variable of RockPaperListener type, or a variable of any supertypes (such as ActionListener). The cavet here is that despite the listener variable being assigned to an instance of RockPaperListener, the variable STILL can only access methods in the ActionListener class. Method overriding is realized at runtime. So at runtime, if the VM knows that listener is "really" an instance of RockPaperListener (instead of just an ActionListener), any overridden methods are used.
Tell me what you do and don't understand.

Originally Posted by SauronWatchesYou

Thanks for clearing that up aussie! I understand that, I believe. I have been working on a project for a while was wondering where I can upload some screenshots/code?

Thanks again

Are you asking how to show off what you've done so far?

If so, the cafe section of this forum is for that type of thing: The Cafe

But honestly, you probably won't get a lot of hits from that, since this is primarily a technical forum. You might also try the Work-In-Progress board at JGO: WIP games, tools & toy projects - Java-Gaming.org

Other than that, putting together a little website for people to visit is probably your best bet. The link in my signature to Static Void Games is my attempt at making that process easier for people.

Thanks, that's awesome to hear! I've got some big plans for this summer that I'm really looking forward to, so stay tuned!