Thread: Create Object

I was working on this problem earlier. I have solved it, except for one part. It says that I have to generate a parking ticket from my 'ParkingTicket' class. Right now, in my Demo class, I have just had the system output all of the different parts it needs to generate the ticket, although it doesn't generate the parking ticket, per se. Here is the code I use now to generate the output:

 import java.text.DecimalFormat;
 
public class CarTest {
 
	public static void main(String[] args) {
 
		DecimalFormat money = new DecimalFormat("$0.00");
 
		ParkedCar vehicle = new ParkedCar("Honda", "Accord", "Black", "452-BTS", 130);
 
		ParkingMeter meter = new ParkingMeter(60);
 
		PoliceOfficer copster = new PoliceOfficer("John Doe", 1337);
 
		ParkingTicket ticket = PoliceOfficer.examine(vehicle, meter);
 
		if(ticket != null) {
			//System.out.println(ticket);
			System.out.println(vehicle.toString());
			System.out.println(meter.toString());
			System.out.println(copster.toString());
			System.out.println("Fine Total: " + money.format((ticket.getFine())));
		}
		else {
			System.out.println("Car is not doing anything wrong!");
		}
	}
 
}

What I want is in the 'if(ticket!= null) {' area. Rather than having all of those outputs, I would like to just generate the ParkingTicket in the ParkingTicket class. If you know how to do this, I would be really grateful.
-TitanVex

I would like to just generate the ParkingTicket in the ParkingTicket class

Are you sure you want the class to generate an instance of itself?
Can you explain what you want to do? Your question seems to say you want to remove the println statements.
And replace them with generating a object. What about the ParkingTicket object that has already been created?
Do you want to add more data to that object? If so, add some setXXXX methods to the class that will allow you to call them to set the values of variables in the class.

How will creating an instance of the class replace the printing out of the data?

Originally Posted by Norm

Are you sure you want the class to generate an instance of itself?
Can you explain what you want to do? Your question seems to say you want to remove the println statements.
And replace them with generating a object. What about the ParkingTicket object that has already been created?
Do you want to add more data to that object? If so, add some setXXXX methods to the class that will allow you to call them to set the values of variables in the class.

How will creating an instance of the class replace the printing out of the data?

I am really bad at explaining because I get confused with some of the terminology. I apologize. However, the assignment says that we must generate a parking ticket (from the ParkingTicket class) if the car's time has expired.

What I was thinking, was that there would be a way to have the println statements in the ParkingTicket class. Then, in the demo class, I can just call upon those statements.

I am not sure if that makes sense or not. I still want the println statements, just not where they are currently located. I would rather just call the ParkingTicket object and print out all of that data.

I am sorry if this doesn't make sense, but thanks for trying.

-TitanVex

I think I see what you are asking. After creating an instance of the ParkingTicket class, you want to call a method in the class to print out the details.
Can you add a method to the class and move the println statements to that method and then call it?

Well I tried something like that, but because in my println statements, I used the actual objects like 'vehicle, meter, and copster' I can't use that in the ParkingTicket class. I tried changing it to 'ParkedCar.toString()' etc., but that didn't work either. I will give you an example of what I tried:

 public class ParkingTicket {
 
		private ParkedCar vehicle;
		private PoliceOfficer copster;
		private double fine;
		private int minutes;
		private double firstFine = 25;
		private double moreFine = 10;
		private ParkingMeter meter;
 
		public ParkingTicket(ParkedCar car, PoliceOfficer cop, double guyFine, ParkingMeter clock) {
 
			//vehicle = car;
			//copster = cop;
			//fine = guyFine;
			//meter = clock;
 
			vehicle = car;
			copster = cop;
			fine = guyFine;
			meter = clock;
		}
 
 
		public double getTotalFine() {
			int  time = vehicle.getMinutes() - meter.getMinPurchased();
 
			if(time <= 60) {
				fine = firstFine;
			}
			else {
				fine = firstFine + moreFine * (time / 60);
			}
			return fine;
		}
 
		public double getFirstFine() {
			return firstFine;
		}
		public double getMoreFine() {
			return moreFine;
		}
		public ParkedCar getVehicle() {
			return vehicle;
		}
		public PoliceOfficer getCopster() {
			return copster;
		}
 
		public int getMinutes() {
			return minutes;
		}
		public double getFine() {
			return fine;
		}
 
		public String toString() {
                        String string = 
			System.out.println(vehicle.toString()) + "\n" +
			System.out.println(meter.toString()) + "\n" + 
			System.out.println(copster.toString()) + "\n" +
			System.out.println("Fine Total: " + "\t" + "\t" + money.format((ticket.getFine())));
                       return string;
		}
 
}

It is that last section there. Is that what you mean? Or something else?

You could override the toString() method or create your own new method like: printTheTicket().

I can't use that in the ParkingTicket class

You would need to use the values that are in the ParkingTicket class.

Originally Posted by Norm

You could override the toString() method or create your own new method like: printTheTicket().


You would need to use the values that are in the ParkingTicket class.

So how would I do that to be any different? Would it be like:

public String printTheTicket() {
String string = System.out.println(vehicle.toString());
return string;
}

Or do I somehow have to change the 'vehicle' part of toString. I guess I don't know what my own new method would look like.

I would rather just call the ParkingTicket object and print out all of that data.

You need to define what you want to happen and where it should happen?
If you want to have the method return a String, do that.
If you want to print out the ticket in the class, do that.
You could do it either way.

A method named printTheTicket() would not return a String.

At first when i read your question I wondered if you were trying to access the class directly without instantiating it: That means you must modify it to be static. I hope the above responses helped you anyway.