Thread: Need to find out if a String has consecutive letters or digits with LOOPING ('89012' or 'bazyx')

pseudocode:
string s = "sddfa233"
loop over the string from index 1
compare current character with the one before it
if they are equal, you have a match.

Are these the rules: if looking at 'a' then 'z' and 'b' are consecutive. For 'd', 'c' and 'e'. For '0', '9' and '1'

I assume the input is in a String. Use the charAt() method to get the char values out of the String.
Use a loop and if statements inside the loop to do the tests.

--- Update ---

char values in the a-z range are contiguous. For example: 'a' + 1 = 'b' and 'y' + 1 = 'z'

start simple: get the char before the current char and test it, then get the char after the current char and test it. Move to next char.
Don't try to do it all at once.

--- Update ---

Make a list of the steps the code needs to do in pseudo code to organize your thoughts on solving the problem. Rework the steps until they make logical sense as a solution. Then work on coding each step.

When you look at the first char what is the first test you need to make?

Some thoughts:
To detect if ascending see if next is +1 in value
to detect descending see if next is -1 in value
Special tests for chars at end of sequences.

check the first and last variables

Not very reliable for Strings more than 2 char long. I don't see how testing the first and ending char of the String wold tell you what was in between the first and last char.

one of the four cases

How are you going to handle mixing the logic for digits and letters? What variables would you use to make the tests generic so the code wouldn't know if it was testing digits or letters? 'c' + 1 = 'd' and '2' + 1 = '3'

how I could make it generic

Define some variables to hold controlling values and use them instead of hardcoding: 'a', 'z', '0', '9' etc

You could determine ascending/descending by looking at the first two char

Instead of using 'a' in the code that tests for the first char of the group of letters: a-z or digits: 0-9, use a variable of type char that holds either 'a' or '0'

How will you detect when testing the end of the sequence of letters? With this String: "bazyx" you will need to know when at the end of the sequence to know to wrap around to the end of the sequence: descending sequence going from 'a' to 'z'. Or with this: "89012" when going from '9' to '0'

All those values: 'a', 'z', '9', '0' should be in variables, not hardcoded.

I'm really lost.

import java.util.Scanner;
public class Question1 {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    System.out.println("Enter 4 or less characters.");
    Scanner keyboardReader = new Scanner(System.in);
    String text = keyboardReader.next();
    System.out.println(isConsecutive(text));
  }
    public static boolean isConsecutive (String s) {
      int letterCount1;
      int letterCount2;
      int letterCount3;
      int letterCount4;
      String text = s.toLowerCase();
      char one = 'a';
      char two = 'z';
      char three = '0';
      char four = '9';
      boolean consecutive = true;
      boolean ascending;
      boolean descending;
      boolean azAscending;
      boolean zaAscending;
      boolean ascending09;
      boolean ascending90;
      if ((s.charAt(0)+1) == s.charAt(1)) {
        ascending = true;
      }
      if ((s.charAt(0)-1) == s.charAt(1)) {
        descending = true;
      }
      if (s.charAt(0) == one && s.charAt(1) == two) {
        ascending = true;
      }
      if (s.charAt(0) == two && s.charAt(1) == one) {
        zaAscending = true;
      }
      if (s.charAt(0) == three && s.charAt(1) == four) {
        ascending09 = true;
      }
      if (s.charAt(0) == four && s.charAt(1) == three) {
        ascending90 = true;
      }
 
      for (i=1; i<s.length()-1; i++) {
        if (ascending = true && (s.charAt(i)+1) == s.charAt(i+1));
        else {
 
 
 
      for (int i=0; i<s.length(); i++) {
        if ((s.charAt(i)+1) == s.charAt(i+1) 
        if (consecutive = true && (s.charAt(i) == one || s.charAt(i) == two || s.charAt(i) == three || s.charAt(i) == four)) {
        consecutive = true;
 
 
      }
      }
      return consecutive;
}
}

Some stuff is just things I left in case I decide to change my program around.

Maybe this might give you some clues:

String str = "abdg";
char fred = str.charAt(0);
fred++;
char barney = str.charAt(1);
System.out.println(fred == barney);

Before trying to write code, you should work on the logic for the program. Work on making a list of the steps the program should do in pseudo code. When the logic looks good, then try writing the program.
In post #11 you said the first step was:
check if String is digits or letters
Then what?

The variable names should describe the data they hold. one, two etc don't say what they hold. Better would be beginLetters and endLetters, beginDigits and endDigits