Game Board Help

[monikathelover1999]

Hello, I'm trying to get this program to test three different game boards and put them in three separate files. I have everything working except the RandomLocation method, which I'm struggling to figure out what tod do with.

package boardgametester;
 
import games.board.*;
import games.utilities.*;
 
public class BoardGameTester {
 
    /**
     * @param args the command line arguments
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        RandomLocation rl = new RandomLocation();
        Board ticTacToe = new Board(3,3);
 
        ticTacToe.setCell(Mark.CROSS, Mark.NOUGHT, rl.getRandom(3), rl.getRandom(3));
 
        System.out.println("TIC TAC TOE BOARD");
        System.out.println(ticTacToe.toString());
 
        Board connectFour = new Board(6,7);
 
        connectFour.setCell(Mark.YELLOW, Mark.RED, rl.getRandom(6), rl.getRandom(7));
 
        System.out.println("CONNECT FOUR BOARD");
        System.out.println(connectFour.toString());
 
        Board mastermind = new Board(5,8);
 
        mastermind.setCell(Mark.YELLOW, Mark.RED, Mark.GREEN, Mark.BLUE, Mark.MAGENTA, Mark.ORANGE, rl.getRandom(5), rl.getRandom(8));
 
        System.out.println("MASTERMIND BOARD");
        System.out.println(connectFour.toString());
 
FileManager.writeToFileAsync(connectFour.toString(),
"c4.txt");
 
FileManager.writeToFileAsync(ticTacToe.toString(),
"ttt.txt");
 
FileManager.writeToFileAsync(mastermind.toString(),
"mm.txt");
}
}

[Norm]

the RandomLocation method, which I'm struggling to figure out what tod do with.

The posted code shows that RandomLocation is a class not a method and that it contains a method named: getRandom
Can you explain what that class and method is supposed to do?

Before writing any code you need to have a design for what that code is supposed to do.

[monikathelover1999]

Yes.

The Random Location is supposed to select a random location on the game boards to put the corresponding marks on, and getRandom is supposed to extract that mark from the class.

[Norm]

Random Location is supposed to select a random location

Class's don't normally do anything. They contain methods that do things.

getRandom is supposed to extract that mark from the class.

Does that method return a value? What kind of value is it?

What is a mark? A String? An int? A pair of int (x,y)?

[monikathelover1999]

The method is empty, I'm trying to figure out what I should put in it.

The marks are a group of string used to mark a location on the boards, they're stored in a class called Mark.java, should I post that class here too?

[Norm]

I'm trying to figure out what I should put in it.

Can you describe what the method is supposed to do?
What arguments does it take?
What computations will it need to do?
What value will it return?

[monikathelover1999]

Okay. So, the code is supposed to create three boards like this.

| | | |
———-

| | | |
———-

| | | |
———-

And fill them with random Marks (NOUGHT and CROSS for TicTacToe, RED and YELLOW for Connect Four and YELLOW, RED, GREEN, BLUE, MAGENTA, ORANGE for Mastermind), then put them in three separate files. The getRandom is for placing these marks on the board.

[Norm]

The getRandom is for placing these marks on the board.

Can you be more detailed about what that method needs to do?

What arguments does it take?
What computations will it need to do?
What value will it return?

[monikathelover1999]

It'll need to take the string arguments from the Mark.java class which are "O","X","Y","R","B","G","M","N".

It well then need to set these onto the board at random locations.

Then it should return one of those random strings as the corresponding value.

[Norm]

it should return one of those random strings

Are you talking about what the getRandom method is supposed to do? I assume the method does not take any arguments because you left it off.
Ok can you write the statement that declares a method that takes no arguments and returns a String?
Don't worry about the computations yet. To have a working method for testing, just have it return the first String in the array.

Those three steps look like too many steps for a small, simple method to do. Are you sure the getRandom method is supposed to do all those steps? Or are there other methods involved?

[monikathelover1999]

Okay, I think I got it now.