Nested Loops Triangle Pattern Help

[Silverwind_4]

I'm trying to print this below pattern using nested loops in Java, but I'm having trouble getting it into the way it's supposed to look.

 *************
  ***********
   *********
    *******
     *****
      ***
       *
       *
      *** 
     *****
    *******     
   *********       
  ***********
 *************

There basically are two triangles, one going down and one going up. The first triangle starts out with 13 asterisks and then decrease by 2 each line until it gets to 1 asterisk. The second triangle begins with 1 asterisk and then increase until it reaches 13 asterisks.

This is the code that I have now.

class hourglass
{
	public static void main (String[] arguments)
	{
		//hourglass shape
		
        int size=13;
        int starStartPosition = 0;
        int starEndPosition = 13;
        String printout;
        for( int rows=0; rows<size; rows++)
        {
            for( int cols=0; cols<size; cols++)
            {
                if(cols < starStartPosition || cols >= starEndPosition)
                {
                    printout += " "; 
                }
                else
                {
                    printout += "*";
                }
            }
            if(rows <6)
            {
                starStartPosition++;
                starEndPosition--;
            }
            else
            {
                starStartPosition--;
                starPosition++;
            }
            System.out.println(printout);
            printout = "";
        }
    }
}

The above code only prints the single asterisk in the middle ONCE, but it should be printed TWICE since the shape is made up of TWO triangles. I am thinking of doing two separate nested loops for each individual triangle, but I have no idea how to do that or fix my current code.

Someone please help!
Thanks.

[Londbrok]

You code does not compile. Check your variable naming. Once corrected works fine. Also when posting next time, and you know you recieve an error, post the error too.

[Silverwind_4]

This is interesting, because I can compile the code fine on my computer. It runs and everything. When compiled, it just doesn't look the way it's supposed to look as it's missing one of the middle asterisks.

[petes1234]

hint 2: one of these lines posted above is wrong:

else
{
  starStartPosition--;
  starPosition++;
}

[keang]

This is interesting, because I can compile the code fine on my computer.

This is probably because you haven't posted the same code as you are actually compiling and running.

[Xeel]

a quicker version:

public static void main(String[] args) {
    
    int top = 13;
    int s = 0;
    
    for (int i=0; i<top*2+1; i++){
        s = Math.abs(top-i);
        if(s!=0){
            for(int j=top; j>s; j--){
                System.out.print(" ");
            }
            for (int j=0; j<s; j++){
                System.out.print("* ");
            }
            System.out.println();
        }
    }
}