Thread: ArrayList Help

Hi All,

I am very green with Java programming and I am in a class in which I have to answer some questions. The one question that will not compile correctly is:

Assume that an ArrayList of integers named a has been declared and initialized. Write a single statement that assigns a new value to the first element of the ArrayList. The new value should be equal to twice the value stored in the last element of the ArrayList.

This is the code that is provided to me:

 import java.util.*;
 
 public class CTest {
 	public static void main(String[] args) {
 		int j = 2;
 		ArrayList<Integer> a = new ArrayList<Integer>(Arrays.asList(343,43,65,34,564));
                //<My Answer goes here>
	}
}

Here's my answer to the question:

		a[0] = 2 * a[a.length-1];

Here's the compile errors I'm getting:

Errors:

CTest.java:8: error: cannot find symbol
a.get[0] = 2 * a[a.length-1];
^
symbol: variable get
location: variable a of type ArrayList<Integer>
CTest.java:8: error: cannot find symbol
a.get[0] = 2 * a[a.length-1];
^
symbol: variable length
location: variable a of type ArrayList<Integer>
CTest.java:8: error: array required, but ArrayList<Integer> found
a.get[0] = 2 * a[a.length-1];
^
3 errors


I'm not sure why this is not working? Any help would be appreciated, because I really do not know much about this.

Thanks,
T

Originally Posted by Norm

I assume you are trying to call the get() method.
use () with method calls. [] is for arrays.

Well...I've tried it a number of different ways. Here's what I have tired:

a.set(0, 2*(a.get(a.length - 1)));

and this:

a[0]=a[(a.length)-1]*2;

Both of these bring up compile errors.

Originally Posted by GoodbyeWorld

The ArrayList class doesn't override the [] operator. Hence you can't use it.

Also, the ArrayList class doesn't have, at least not a public or protected one, called length. It has a method called size().

Hence why you're getting compiling errors.

Thank you for the help! I got it working! Here's what I used:

a.set(0, 2*(a.get(a.size() - 1)));

I'm all good now and I learned something new.

T

And you could have discovered these details yourself by reading the ArrayList API. Please try that next time.

Originally Posted by GregBrannon

And you could have discovered these details yourself by reading the ArrayList API. Please try that next time.

Wow...I've always been taught that if you don't know something, you ask questions. That way I can learn from others. I do not know programming, especially Java, and I'm trying to learn it. I'm sorry if I put anyone out by asking a question and wanting to get some advice. By telling someone to look at the API is indeed help, but maybe the API will not help the person the way it will for you? Don't you think I looked at the API, because I looked at it and I still could not figure out where I went wrong? Sorry! I didn’t want you guys to do the work for me, I wanted help understanding where I went wrong. Different people learn in different ways. I was hoping someone would explain my mistake like GoodbyeWorld did. Once I read that explanation, I knew exactly where I when wrong.

Neither you nor GoddbyeWorld did anything wrong. All's fine, don't feel I'm criticizing.

The goal of any teacher (we're not teachers) should be to give the student the tools and resources needed to explore and learn on their own. Frankly, the best teachers guide those who really want to learn to the paths that could lead them on a journey of self discovery, if taken. Yes, I suppose if you have a question, you should ask, but a valid and useful answer might have been, "Read the API." From there, you might have discovered the answer yourself and had a different sense of accomplishment. Whether that sense would have been greater or less varies from person to person, I suppose. For me, it would have been greater.

Originally Posted by GregBrannon

Neither you nor GoddbyeWorld did anything wrong. All's fine, don't feel I'm criticizing.

The goal of any teacher (we're not teachers) should be to give the student the tools and resources needed to explore and learn on their own. Frankly, the best teachers guide those who really want to learn to the paths that could lead them on a journey of self discovery, if taken. Yes, I suppose if you have a question, you should ask, but a valid and useful answer might have been, "Read the API." From there, you might have discovered the answer yourself and had a different sense of accomplishment. Whether that sense would have been greater or less varies from person to person, I suppose. For me, it would have been greater.

No worries...we're all good. I just wanted to express to you all that I wasn't looking for someone to do my work for me. I'm just trying to learn the way I know will help me best.