Thread: Game over method not updating correctly

Junky, that was an issue I hadn't noticed. My main issue is it updating the win a whole count value after the win happens. So if you click a third x in a row, you have to click another O for it to say you won, last turn.

Originally Posted by Junky

Just had a quick look: why do you check if the game is over before you update the button with 'X' or 'O'?

Update: just ran your code and due to the above problem it reports that the wrong player wins.

Originally Posted by Norm

One possible problem I see: using == to compare Strings instead of the equals() method.

I fixed that and it still takes an extra count to display the winning message.

Originally Posted by Junky

Because you are doing things in the wrong order!

Updated code
-Changed to .equals()
-Changed the order of the methods

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
 
public class TicTacToe extends JFrame implements ActionListener, WindowListener{
 
	public JFrame window = new JFrame("window");
	public JButton button1 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button2 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button3 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button4 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button5 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button6 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button7 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button8 = new JButton("");
	public JButton button9 = new JButton("");
	public String letter = "";
	public String lastLetter = "";
	public int count = 0;
	public boolean win;
	public boolean isTieGame;
 
 
	public TicTacToe()
	{
 
		window.setSize(300,300);
		window.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
		window.setLayout(new GridLayout(3,3));
 
 
 
		window.add(button1);
		window.add(button2);
		window.add(button3);
		window.add(button4);
		window.add(button5);
		window.add(button6);
		window.add(button7);
		window.add(button8);
		window.add(button9);
 
		button1.addActionListener(this);
		button2.addActionListener(this);
		button3.addActionListener(this);
		button4.addActionListener(this);
		button5.addActionListener(this);
		button6.addActionListener(this);
		button7.addActionListener(this);
		button8.addActionListener(this);
		button9.addActionListener(this);
 
		window.setVisible(true);
		}
 
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		new TicTacToe();
	    }
 
	public void counter()
		{
			if(count == 1 || count == 3 || count == 5 || count == 7 || count == 9)
			{
				letter = "X";
			}
			else
			{
				letter = "O";
			}
		}
	public boolean isGameOver()
	{
		//Button 1 2 3
		if(button1.getText().equals(button2.getText()) && button2.getText().equals(button3.getText()) && button1.getText() != "")
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else if(button4.getText().equals(button5.getText()) && button5.getText().equals(button6.getText()) && button4.getText() != "")
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else if(button7.getText().equals(button8.getText()) && button8.getText().equals(button9.getText()) && button7.getText() != "")
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else if(button1.getText().equals(button5.getText()) && button5.getText().equals(button9.getText()) && button1.getText() != "")
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else if(button3.getText().equals(button5.getText()) && button5.getText().equals(button7.getText()) && button3.getText() != "")
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else if(button1.getText().equals(button4.getText()) && button4.getText().equals(button7.getText()) && button1.getText() != "")
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else if(button2.getText().equals(button5.getText()) && button5.getText().equals(button8.getText()) && button2.getText() != "")
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else if(button3.getText().equals(button6.getText()) && button6.getText().equals(button9.getText()) && button3.getText() != "" )
		{
			win = true;
		}
		else
		{
			win = false;
		}
		return win;
	}
	public void endOrReset()
		{
			if(win)
			{
				JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, lastLetter() + " WINS!");
				int playAgain = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, "Would you like to play again?", "Play Again.", JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
				if(playAgain == (JOptionPane.YES_OPTION))
				{
				win = false;
				}
				else if(playAgain == JOptionPane.NO_OPTION)
				{
					JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Goodbye");
					System.exit(0);
				}
			}
			else if(isTieGame == true)
				{
				JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Tie Game!");
				int playAgain = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, "Would you like to play again?", "Play Again.", JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
				if(playAgain == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION)
				{
 
 
				}
				else if(playAgain == JOptionPane.NO_OPTION)
				{
					JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Goodbye");
					System.exit(0);
				}
				}
 
		}
	public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent a) {
 
		count++;
		counter();
		isGameOver();
		endOrReset();
 
 
 
		if(a.getSource().equals(button1))
			{
			button1.setText(letter);
			button1.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
			} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button2))
		{
			button2.setText(letter);
			button2.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
		} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button3))
		{
			button3.setText(letter);
			button3.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
		} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button4))
		{
			button4.setText(letter);
			button4.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
			} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button5))
		{
			button5.setText(letter);
			button5.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
			} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button6))
		{
			button6.setText(letter);
			button6.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
			} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button7))
			{
			button7.setText(letter);
			button7.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
			} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button8)){
			button8.setText(letter);
			button8.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
			} 
		else if(a.getSource().equals(button9)){
			button9.setText(letter);
			button9.setEnabled(false);
			System.out.println( "" + count);
			System.out.println("" + win);
			}
 
   }
 
	@Override
	public void windowActivated(WindowEvent e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
 
	}
 
	@Override
	public void windowClosed(WindowEvent e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
 
	}
 
	@Override
	public void windowClosing(WindowEvent e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
 
	}
 
	@Override
	public void windowDeactivated(WindowEvent e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
 
	}
 
	@Override
	public void windowDeiconified(WindowEvent e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
 
	}
 
	@Override
	public void windowIconified(WindowEvent e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
 
	}
 
	@Override
	public void windowOpened(WindowEvent e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
 
	}	
	public String lastLetter()
	{
		String lastLetter;
		if(letter == "O")
		{
			lastLetter = "X";
		}
		else
		{
			lastLetter = "O";
		}
		return lastLetter;
	}
	public boolean isTieGame()
	{
		if(count >= 9 && win == false)
		{
			isTieGame = true;
		}
		return isTieGame();
	}
	}

All better then?

Other thoughts:

The method isTieGame() is an infinitely recursive method.

Once you get the order right, the method lastLetter() is unnecessary.

if ( boolean == true ) is verbose. if ( boolean ) is sufficient.

Applying the concept of the statement, ( (JButton)a.getSource() ).setText( letter ), throughout your program will eliminate several if() statements.

Originally Posted by GregBrannon

All better then?

Other thoughts:

The method isTieGame() is an infinitely recursive method.

Once you get the order right, the method lastLetter() is unnecessary.

if ( boolean == true ) is verbose. if ( boolean ) is sufficient.

Applying the concept of the statement, ( (JButton)a.getSource() ).setText( letter ), throughout your program will eliminate several if() statements.

I'm a self-taught programmer so I don't have the best foundation. Not sure what infinitely recursive really means so I'm not sure how I could fix that.
What do I need to be studying so that I can figure out simple things like ( (JButton)a.getSource() ).setText( letter ) naturally?

As of right now the code runs but still does not immediately show the winner as a showMessage... it's delayed by one turn.

Practice, practice, practice, review and learn from the code of others, and post your code and ask for feedback. Don't take feedback personally and accept that some critics are more gentle than others, but don't listen to A-holes.

Learn the basic programming tools very well before moving to intermediate and advanced topics. Before coding a graphical program - even a "simple" TicTacToe game - you should know what a recursive method is. For an OOP language like Java, you should have a growing foundation of OOP understanding that would lead you to try things like (JButton)a.getSource(), simply because that's how it works. Knowing that that's simply how it works comes with practice. An understanding of OOP, its use and advantages, dawns on different people at different times.

To improve your coding approach, have a design well thought out and documented before writing any code. This program appears to have evolved from code based on a rough idea of how a TicTacToe game flows to code that grew because band aid code was applied when the desired results were not achieved. Instead of adding band aid code, attempt to improve the basic design.

Don't give up, be patient, keep coding.

Originally Posted by GregBrannon

Practice, practice, practice, review and learn from the code of others, and post your code and ask for feedback. Don't take feedback personally and accept that some critics are more gentle than others, but don't listen to A-holes.

Learn the basic programming tools very well before moving to intermediate and advanced topics. Before coding a graphical program - even a "simple" TicTacToe game - you should know what a recursive method is. For an OOP language like Java, you should have a growing foundation of OOP understanding that would lead you to try things like (JButton)a.getSource(), simply because that's how it works. Knowing that that's simply how it works comes with practice. An understanding of OOP, its use and advantages, dawns on different people at different times.

To improve your coding approach, have a design well thought out and documented before writing any code. This program appears to have evolved from code based on a rough idea of how a TicTacToe game flows to code that grew because band aid code was applied when the desired results were not achieved. Instead of adding band aid code, attempt to improve the basic design.

Don't give up, be patient, keep coding.

Well what is making my code update the win Boolean after the win has occurred?

Originally Posted by Norm

When should the variable be updated? It seems that it should do it after the win has been found. It shouldn't do it before the win.

Have you tried tracing or debugging the program to see what it does when it executes
and to see what order it does things?
I use println() statements that print out messages that tell me when the values of variables are changed and when methods are executed. If you add lots of println() statements to the code you will see in what order the win Boolean is updated and when the win occurs. The values of the print out can help you understand what the program is doing.

I actually have been doing th. It hasn't been helpful.

Originally Posted by Norm

That may be because it needs more work.
Debugging a program is a big part of programming. It's important to learn how.

What does the print out show? Does it show when a win is detected and when the program shows the "Winner" message? What other things happen between those two events? Should the "Winner" message be shown immediately after the win is found?

I have an idea for a project. Making an application that stores data and creating a search function for it. The problem is I don't know where to start. What would you say would be a good start.