Thread: Difficulty searching element in an Array

Been messing around for hours and eventually decided to seek the assistance of the internet.

I am trying to make a program where I/the user can add elements into an array (Name, age gender). Once elements have been added to the array, I want to then be able to search a String (name) to find the desired name I am after in the array. The context of the program is adding Climbers to a Climber Database (just an array) of who has climbed what mountain (haven't attempted adding the mountain stuff yet).

In what I've written so far, I keep getting the return null, saying that the searched String cannot be found. I have a feeling that I am failing to pass the parameters of the added element in the array.
For example, I add a 'climber' with the name John, 19, Male in the Climber Class. I then go to the ClubStats class to getClimber and search "John", the only one in the array and I receive a null..

FYI I am using BlueJ here so at a serious basic level.

/**
 * Write a description of class Climber here.
 *
 * @author (your name)
 * @version (a version number or a date)
 */
public class Climber
{
    // Instance variables.
    // The climber name.
    private String name;
    // The climber age.
    private int age;
    // The climber gender.
    private String gender;
 
    /**
     * Constructor for objects of class Climber
     */
    public Climber(String newName, int newAge, String newGender)
    {
        // Initialise instance variables.
        name = newName;
        age = newAge;
        gender = newGender;
    }
 
    /**
     * Accessor method for climber's name.
     */
    public String getName()
    {
        return name;
    }
 
    /**
     * Set the climber's name.
     */
    public void setName(String newName)
    {
        name = newName;
    }
 
    /**
     * Accessor method for climber's age.
     */
    public int getAge()
    {
        return age;
 
    }
 
    /**
     * Set the climber's age.
     */
    public void setAge(int newAge)
    {
        age = newAge;
 
    }
 
     /**
     * Set the climer's gender.
     */
   public String getGender()
   {
       return gender;
   } 
 
   /**
     * Accessor method for climber's gender.
     */
    public void getGender(String newGender)
    {
        gender = newGender;
 
    }
 
}
 
import java.util.ArrayList;
/**
 * Write a description of class ClubStats here.
 *
 * @author (your name)
 * @version (a version number or a date)
 */
public class ClubStats
{
    // An ArrayList for storing climber details.
    private ArrayList<Climber> climber;
    // An ArrayList for storing mountain details.
 
    /**
    * Constructor for objects of class ClubStats
    */
    public ClubStats()
   {
       // Initialise instance variables.
       climber = new ArrayList<Climber>();
 
    }
 
    public void addClimber(Climber newName)
    {
        climber.add(newName);
    }
 
   public Climber getClimber(String name)
   {
       Climber foundClimber = null;
       int index = 0;
       boolean searching = true;
 
       while(searching && index < climber.size()) {
           Climber newName = climber.get(index);
           if(newName.equals(name)) {
                   searching = false;
                   foundClimber = newName;
                }
                else {
                    System.out.println(name + " not found");
           [CODE]

index++;
}
}
return foundClimber;
}
}

[/CODE]

Hi,

Your 'newName" variable is not a String object, it's a Climber object. What you need is to compare the climber's name to the passed in name.

I also strongly suggest renaming your 'climber' array list to 'climbers' - it's a good convention to use plural when naming lists or arrays.

Climber climber = climbers.get(index);
if (climber.getName().equals(name)) {
    // Found!
}

Good luck!