Thread: AlphaChop Problem

Hi guys I have this code. It works, but it has a minor glitch which i cannot troubleshoot. Please find the code below followed by an image of my output.

 
import java.util.Random;
import java.util.Scanner;
public class letters
{
  public static void main(String[] args){
 
 
    Random rn = new Random();
    Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
 
    //generation of a random letter
    char letter = (char)(rn.nextInt(26) + 'A');
    System.out.println("******************"+letter);
 
 
    char alphabet;
    char startingLetter = 'A';
    char endingLetter = 'Z';
    char guessedLetter = '.';
 
    int i = 0;
 
 
 
    //the purpose of this (do, while) loop is for the program to loop while the gussedLetter is incorrect.
   do { 
       //Calling the method generateRange to generate the alphabet
       generateRange(startingLetter, endingLetter);
 
       //Requesting user input
       System.out.println("");
       System.out.println("Please Choose a Letter from above");
       System.out.println("");
       System.out.print("Selection: ");
       guessedLetter = sc.nextLine().charAt(0);
 
       //calling the validation method to validate the character inputted
       guessedLetter = validation(guessedLetter);
 
      //this conditional statement will alter the endingLetter of the alphabet. Once the program loops again it will call the method generateRange again, and the program will display the characters with the modified endingLetter. 
      //The condition will also tell the user that the possible answer is to the left
       if(letter < guessedLetter) {
           System.out.println("");
           System.out.println("Incorrect -- its to the Left of " + guessedLetter+". Your Letters are between: ");
           endingLetter = guessedLetter;
 
       }
      //this conditional statement will alter the startingLetter of the alphabet. Once the program loops again it will call the method generateRange again, and the program will display the characters with the modified startingLetter. 
      //The condition will also tell the user that the possible answer is to the right.
      else if (letter > guessedLetter){
           System.out.println("");
           System.out.println("Incorrect -- its to the Right of " + guessedLetter+". Your Letters are between: ");
           startingLetter = guessedLetter;
 
 
      }
 
      //this counter will keep track of the number of tries it took the user to win!
      i++;
    }
    while (letter != guessedLetter);
 
 
   //Outputs when the answer is correct. and tells the user the number of tries. 
   System.out.println("");
   System.out.println("Correct -- You managed in " + i + " tries");
 
}
//the purpose of this method is to generate the alphabet according to the startingLetter and endingLetter which get modified according to the users guesses  
public static void generateRange(char start, char end){ 
  char alphabet;
  for(alphabet = start; alphabet <= end; alphabet++ ) {
           System.out.print(alphabet+" ");
    }
   System.out.println(""); 
}
 
  //the purpose of this method is to validate the characters inputted. The program will ask the user to input his guess again if a wrong character is entered, example a number of a symbol.
  //the switch will also convert any lowercase letters to uppercase allowing the user to enter both lower or upercase letters
 public static char guessedLetter = '.';
  public static char validation(char letterValid) {
 
    switch(letterValid) {
        case 'A': 
        case 'a': guessedLetter = 'A'; break;
        case 'B': 
        case 'b': guessedLetter = 'B'; break;
        case 'C': 
        case 'c': guessedLetter = 'C'; break;
        case 'D': 
        case 'd': guessedLetter = 'D'; break;
        case 'E': 
        case 'e': guessedLetter = 'E'; break;
        case 'F': 
        case 'f': guessedLetter = 'F'; break;
        case 'G':
        case 'g': guessedLetter = 'G'; break;
        case 'H': 
        case 'h': guessedLetter = 'H'; break;
        case 'I' :
        case 'i': guessedLetter = 'I'; break;
        case 'J' :
        case 'j': guessedLetter = 'J'; break;
        case 'K': 
        case 'k': guessedLetter = 'K'; break;
        case 'L' :
        case 'l': guessedLetter = 'L'; break;
        case 'M' :
        case 'm': guessedLetter = 'M'; break;
        case 'N' :
        case 'n': guessedLetter = 'N'; break;
        case 'O' :
        case 'o': guessedLetter = 'O'; break;
        case 'P' :
        case 'p': guessedLetter = 'P'; break;
        case 'Q' :
        case 'q': guessedLetter = 'Q'; break;
        case 'R' :
        case 'r': guessedLetter = 'R'; break;
        case 'S' :
        case 's': guessedLetter = 'S'; break;
        case 'T' :
        case 't': guessedLetter = 'T'; break;
        case 'U' :
        case 'u': guessedLetter = 'U'; break;
        case 'V' :
        case 'v': guessedLetter = 'V'; break;
        case 'W' :
        case 'w': guessedLetter = 'W'; break;
        case 'X' :
        case 'x': guessedLetter = 'X'; break;
        case 'Y' :
        case 'y': guessedLetter = 'Y'; break;
        case 'Z' :
        case 'z': guessedLetter = 'Z'; break;
        default : {    //will run if anything apart from A - Z is entered.
                          System.out.println("");
                          System.out.println("Invalid -- Please Choose a Letter!");
                          System.out.println("");
                          System.out.print("Selection: ");
                          Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
                          guessedLetter = sc.nextLine().charAt(0);
                          validation(guessedLetter);
                      }
    } 
    return guessedLetter; 
  }
}

This is my output:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6055003/Capture.PNG

The problem I have is, for example, when I chose R. The code showed R included in the generated alphabet. After it says that it should be left from R. I need to remove that R.

Thanks in advance!

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Please Choose a Letter from above

Selection: h

Incorrect -- its to the Right of H. Your Letters are between:
H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Please Choose a Letter from above

Selection: p

Incorrect -- its to the Right of P. Your Letters are between:
P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Please Choose a Letter from above

Selection: t

Incorrect -- its to the Left of T. Your Letters are between:
P Q R S T

Please Choose a Letter from above

Selection: r

Correct -- You managed in 4 tries


Lets take the first selection which was H....
When it generates the alphabet after, I want it to exclude from outputting H again

--- Update ---

any ideas?

it is off by one. It is outputted by a method... called generateRange

public static void generateRange(char start, char end){ 
  char alphabet;
  for(alphabet = start; alphabet <= end; alphabet++ ) {
           System.out.print(alphabet+" ");
    }
   System.out.println(""); 
}

The method is affected by 2 vaiables startLetter and endLetter which change according to the users input (guessedLetter)

 
if(letter < guessedLetter) {
           System.out.println("");
           System.out.println("Incorrect -- its to the Left of " + guessedLetter+". Your Letters are between: ");
           endingLetter = guessedLetter;
 
       }
      //this conditional statement will alter the startingLetter of the alphabet. Once the program loops again it will call the method generateRange again, and the program will display the characters with the modified startingLetter. 
      //The condition will also tell the user that the possible answer is to the right.
      else if (letter > guessedLetter){
           System.out.println("");
           System.out.println("Incorrect -- its to the Right of " + guessedLetter+". Your Letters are between: ");
           startingLetter = guessedLetter;
 
 
      }

please refer to the code above

I wrote the program. So what do you suggest?

YES! Exactly what I tought. Im getting a loss of precision error though. :-( Cannot understand why.

One Second

--- Update ---

if i do

if(letter < guessedLetter) {
           System.out.println("");
           System.out.println("Incorrect -- its to the Left of " + guessedLetter+". Your Letters are between: ");
           endingLetter = guessedLetter - 1;
 
       }
      //this conditional statement will alter the startingLetter of the alphabet. Once the program loops again it will call the method generateRange again, and the program will display the characters with the modified startingLetter. 
      //The condition will also tell the user that the possible answer is to the right.
      else if (letter > guessedLetter){
           System.out.println("");
           System.out.println("Incorrect -- its to the Right of " + guessedLetter+". Your Letters are between: ");
           startingLetter = guessedLetter + 1;
 
 
      }

i get an error which says

Possible loss of precision
required:char; found: int

--- Update ---

'-1' or '+1' will be highlighted

- (char)(1);
+ (char)(1);

I'm still learning typecasting...still a bit green in it.

--- Update ---

are those good? or not even near?

--- Update ---

well i still get the same error in that way :-(

Dude. I owe you big time. Thanks for your time!!