Thread: Java LinkedList problem

Hello!

I have a program which resembles an online forum. It has message chains, messaged and messages can be replied. I have 2 classes: Chain and Message classes. Messages can be replies so message class has an LinkedList and if message gets replies, reply goes to list (a message can only reply to one message). Chain class also has LinkedList and it contains all messages, which don't have any replies. If new message gets added, it goes to list in chain class and if that message gets replied, that message goes to list in message class.
I have a small problem when I'm trying to add replies to messages using a method in Chain class. This problem does not occur if I do the same using Message class. Firstly, when I add new message to Chain, it goes to the list without problem and if I try to reply that message, it works as well. However, if I'm trying to reply a "reply" (message in message class LinkedList), it doesn't work. My program thinks that I'm trying to reply to the second message, which is reply to the first one.

I need this output:

message1
--message2 reply to message 1
----message3 reply to message 2
------message4 reply to message 3
----message5 reply to message 2
message6

lines stand for whitespace. Every reply gets indent of "--" and if reply is replies, "----" and so on.

Im currently getting this:

message1
--message2 reply to message 1
----message3 reply to message 2
----message4 reply to message 3
message6

Something goes wrong when I'm adding replies to messages, since my program can print properly 2 replies, so indent of "----", but after that it doesn't work.

My program:

public class Chain(
    private LinkedList messages;
 
    public void addReplyToMessage(int id, String comment){
       // if there are messages in chain
 
        if (getMessages().size() > 0){
 
            //lets iterate messages which are located in chain
            for (int i = 0; i < getMessages().size(); i++){
 
                //Convert element(i) to Message object
                Message inChain = (Message)getMessages().element(i);
 
                //create new LinkedList to store all replies from messages
                LinkedList replies = new LinkedList();
                //if searched id is matched in chain messagelist, create new message and add it to
                if (inChain.getId() == id){
                    Message m1 = new Message(comment);
                    inChain.addReply(m1);
 
                // if message was not found from chains linkedlist
                //it is reply to a reply, and located in linked list linked to message
                }else{
 
                //add replies from message to linkedlist object
                replies = inChain.getReply();
 
                //iterate over replies    
                for (int j = 0; j < replies.size(); j++){  
                    Message reply = (Message)replies.element(j);
                    //if reply id matches, add it to messages "reply" list
                    if (reply.getId() == id);
                        Message m2 = new Message(comment);
                        reply.addReply(m2);
                       }
                   }
 
                }
 
            }
        }
     //returns linkedlist that has messages without replies
    public LinkedList getMessages(){
        return messages;
   }
 
   //adds new message to chain
  public void addNewMessage(Message m){
    messages.add(m);
    }
}

I didin't add the printing method, since it works with just using message class. Problem is in that method in chain class. If I add new messages to the chain and add replies to those messages maually like this, everything works: Chain.addMessage(message1), message1.addReply(new message). I need to use my program in a way that I search message with ID from either the messages reply list or message list in chain. Thx in advance and sorry for poor english

program can print properly 2 replies, so indent of "----", but after that it doesn't work.

What is wrong with the current output?

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The posted code has compiler errors. Please post code that will compile without errors so it can be executed for testing.

it just just supposed to be "pseudocode" to show

How can anyone compile and test that code to see and find the problem?

How should I search message by ID

Have a loop that looks at each message and tests for ID.
What is the method supposed to return when it finds a match?