[RESOLVED] Returning Memory Location

Hello all! I am having an issue with a program I am writing for my Java class.

The program is designed to return the number of vowels or consonants of an inputted string. My problem seems that the program returns the memory location of the array and not the actual number.

Another problem I noticed is the counting class is being shown as being not used. However, this count is supposed to occur in the background. I am unsure of where I need to put it to call the class.

Below is my code.

The Main Class

Code:

---


/*
 * To change this template, choose Tools | Templates
 * and open the template in the editor.
 */

package vowelcons;

import java.util.Scanner;

/**
 *
 * @author Matthew Wood
 */
public class Main {

    /**
    * @param args the command line arguments
    */
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String input;
        char selection;

        Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.println("Enter a string: ");
        input = keyboard.nextLine();

        VowelCons vc = new  VowelCons(input);

        do{
            selection = getMenuSelection();

            switch(Character.toLowerCase(selection)){
                case 'a': System.out.println("\nNumber of vowels: " + vc.getNumVowels());
                break;
                case 'b': System.out.println("\nNumber of consonants: " + vc.getNumConsonants());
                break;
                case 'c': System.out.println("\nNumber of vowels: " + vc.getNumVowels());
                          System.out.println("\nNumber of consonants: " + vc.getNumConsonants());
                break;
                case 'd': System.out.println("Enter a string: ");
                          input = keyboard.nextLine();
                          vc = new VowelCons(input);
            }
            }while(Character.toLowerCase(selection) != 'e');

        }


    public static char getMenuSelection(){
        String input;
        char selection;

        Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in);

        System.out.println("a) Count the number of vowels in the string.");
        System.out.println("b) Count the number of consonants in the string.");
        System.out.println("c) Count both the vowels and consonants in the string.");
        System.out.println("d) Enter another string.");
        System.out.println("e) Exit the program.");

        input = keyboard.nextLine();
        selection = input.charAt(0);

        while(Character.toLowerCase(selection) < 'a' || Character.toLowerCase(selection) > 'e'){
            System.out.println("Only enter a,b,c,d, or e: ");
            input = keyboard.nextLine();
            selection = input.charAt(0);
        }
        return selection;
    }
}

---

The VowelsCons Class:

Code:

---


/*
 * To change this template, choose Tools | Templates
 * and open the template in the editor.
 */

package vowelcons;

/**
 *
 * @author Matthew Wood
 */
public class VowelCons {
    private char [] vowels;
    private char [] consonants;
    private int numVowels = 0;
    private int numCons = 0;
    private String str;

    public VowelCons(String string){
            str = string;
    }


    public char[] getNumConsonants() {
        consonants = new char[]{'b','c','d','f','g','h','j','k','l',
        'm','n','p','q','r','s','t','v','w','x','y','z'};
        return consonants;
    }

    public char[] getNumVowels() {
        vowels = new char[]{'a','e', 'i','o','u'};
        return vowels;
    }

    private void countVowelsAndConsonants(int numVowels, int numCons){
        for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
            char ch = str.charAt(i);
            if ((ch == 'a') || (ch == 'e') || (ch == 'i') || (ch == 'o') || (ch == 'u') ) {
                numVowels++;
            }

            else if (Character.isLetter(ch)) {
                numCons++;
            }
    }

    }
}

---

I do know the problem has to lie in where or how my array is declared or where it is positioned. I have read my textbook and other sources and I am still feeling a bit frustrated. Thank you all for any help!

Quote:

---

problem seems that the program returns the memory location of the array and not the actual number.

---

Can you show what is returned?
It sounds like you are getting the output from the Object's default toString() method. If the problemis with your VowelCons class, add a toString method to it:
public String toString() { ....return a nice string here }

Quote:

---

Another problem I noticed is the counting class is being shown as being not used

---

How is that shown?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Norm

How is that shown?

---

It is shown by a gray wavy line (NetBeans 6.8). When I mouse over it, the message says "method countVowelsandCons(int numVowels, int numCons) is not used".

is not used
Is the IDE correct?
Does it effect the desired results from your program?

It does not appear to. It returns the string, "Number of Vowels is:" then it shows the memory location.

For overriding the toString method, would I include the count method into it? Or do I make the toString method take the result from the count method?

By the way, thank you for helping me logically step through this.

Put in the toString() method what you want to see returned. Its up to you.

Your code seems confused - in the VowelCons class you have numVowels and numCons int class variables that are initialized to zero and never used, and you have getNumVowels and geNumCons methods that don't return the numVowels and numCons variables, but regenerate and return the arrays every time they are called (why?).

Until you sort out what those methods are supposed to do and give them appropriate names, and decide what those class variables are going to be used for, you're going to be confused, and people trying to help will be even more confused.

Also, printing an array won't automatically give you a count of the items in the array (why should it?), it will just give you the default 'toString' value for an object, which is className@hashCode. If you want the number of elements in an array, use array.length. If you want to print a list of the items, iterate over the array printing each item in turn.

And why not just initialize the arrays once, instead of regenerating them every time you call the method - the array contents never change, so it's just wasting processor time and memory.

If you cannot describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing...
W. E. Deming

I figured it out. I had some conflicting return types and got it sorted.

Thank you all for your help!