Thread: 2nd week with Java. Help with a few basic syntax errors?

//I am the definition of a programming newbie. When I try to compile this code, I get a few syntax errors towards the end- mostly "identifier expected." I realize this is about as basic as debugging gets, but I can't figure this out.
 
 
import javax.swing.*;
 
public class SimpleGUIApplications {
 
  public static void main(String[] s);
 
    String name;
 
		String promptForName = "Enter your name: ";
 
		String promptForCredits = ", enter number of credits you have completed";
 
    String creditsString;
 
		int credits;
 
			String feedbackPart1 = "You need credits to ";
 
			String feedbackPart2 = " graduate.";
 
		String name = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(promptForName);
 
		String creditsString = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(name + promptForCredits);
 
		String credits = Integer.parseInt(creditsString);
 
	JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, name + ", " + feedbackPart1 +
 
    credits + feedbackPart2);
 
}

Please use highlight tags when posting code. This is how to do that:

[highlight=Java]//Your code here[/highlight]

Give me a moment to look over your code...

String name = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(promptForName);

String creditsString = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(name + promptForCredits);

String credits = Integer.parseInt(creditsString);

Here're your issues:

You have already defined Strings name and creditsString, so you do not need to define them again.

Next, you are trying to define the variable credits as a String when you already have a variable named credits defined as an integer earlier in your program.

To assign a value to a variable, you do not need to declare it again. This is the syntax:

variable = value;

So, for example (assume all variables are ints):

number = 7;
otherNumber = 3 + 2;

Could you post the error messages you're getting?

SimpleGUIApplications.java:21: error: <identifier> expected
                name = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(promptForName);
                    ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:23: error: <identifier> expected
                creditsString = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(name + promptForCred
its);
                             ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:25: error: <identifier> expected
                credits = Integer.parseInt(creditsString);
                       ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:27: error: <identifier> expected
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, name + ", " + feedbackPart1 +
                                     ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:27: error: illegal start of type
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, name + ", " + feedbackPart1 +
                                      ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:27: error: <identifier> expected
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, name + ", " + feedbackPart1 +
                                                ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:27: error: ';' expected
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, name + ", " + feedbackPart1 +
                                                  ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:27: error: illegal start of type
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, name + ", " + feedbackPart1 +
                                                        ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:27: error: ';' expected
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, name + ", " + feedbackPart1 +
                                                                       ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:29: error: <identifier> expected
    credits + feedbackPart2);
           ^
SimpleGUIApplications.java:29: error: <identifier> expected
    credits + feedbackPart2);
                           ^
11 errors

Hi,

public static void main(String[] s);

Since this is your method, you're going to need curly braces afterwards to encase the rest of your code from within that method.

public static void main(String[] s){
   ...
}

when you are creating classes except abstracts, you should always keep this in mind, think of methods as structures like, if - else, switch(selection structures), for-loop, do-while, while(repetition structures), java class(class structure) where you always need to put a matching braces and never semi-colons, semi-colons are used for statements/compound statements(remember im talking about classes), think of semi-colons as comma or period when you are writing sentences in an essay or paragraph, period is used to indicate that your thought in a sentence is done, same as statements in java, semi-colons are used to indicate that the thing that you need in your statement is done means that you are writing another statement(sentence)

I want to tell you I am so 9gag. <-- sentence/phrase, end with period
I am amazed with a troll face. <-- sentence/phrase, end with period

System.out.println("I want to tell you im so 9gag"); // statement, end with semi-colon
System.out.println("I am amazed with a troll face"); // statement, end with semi-colon

i always keep this in mind, at my first beginning of java programming, to avoid confusion on where and when will i use semi-colons and braces