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Java

Finishing TreeStory tests don't seem to work properly?

Hello,

I'm having trouble I can't figure out in the Intermediate Java Track, Local Development Environments, Finishing TreeStory, Challenge page near the end, part of the course.

I have built and verified that my project works as requested in Intellij IDEA< but when I input my Main.java and Prompter.java contents, I first get this error when I try to submit:

Bummer: Whoops looks like you forgot to remove the TODO's after you completed them. This helps everyone know it is done

But I had removed all the TODOs. I tried removing the mention of TODOs in the comments section of the quiz and then get this error, which looks like it's not working for a console prompt when I run readLine.

java.lang.NullPointerException at com.teamtreehouse.Prompter.promptForStory(Prompter.java:65) at com.teamtreehouse.Main.main(Main.java:14) at JavaTester.run(JavaTester.java:77) at JavaTester.main(JavaTester.java:39)

Main.java

package com.teamtreehouse;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;
import java.io.Console;

public class Main {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Prompter prompter = new Prompter();
        String story = prompter.promptForStory();
        Template tmpl = new Template(story);
        prompter.run(tmpl);
    }
}

Prompter.java

package com.teamtreehouse;

import java.io.*;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.*;

public class Prompter {
    private BufferedReader mReader;
    private Set<String> mCensoredWords;

    Console console = System.console();

    public Prompter() {
        mReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        loadCensoredWords();
    }

    private void loadCensoredWords() {
        mCensoredWords = new HashSet<String>();
        Path file = Paths.get("resources", "censored_words.txt");
        List<String> words = null;
        try {
            words = Files.readAllLines(file);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.out.println("Couldn't load censored words");
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
        mCensoredWords.addAll(words);
    }

    public void run(Template tmpl) {
        List<String> results = null;
        try {
            results = promptForWords(tmpl);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.out.println("There was a problem prompting for words");
            e.printStackTrace();
            System.exit(0);
        }
        String storyResults = tmpl.render(results);
        System.out.printf("Your TreeStory:%n%n%s%n%n", storyResults);
    }

    /**
     * Prompts user for each of the blanks
     *
     * @param tmpl The compiled template
     * @return
     * @throws IOException
     */
    public List<String> promptForWords(Template tmpl) throws IOException {
        List<String> words = new ArrayList<String>();
        for (String phrase : tmpl.getPlaceHolders()) {
            String word = promptForWord(phrase);
            words.add(word);
        }
        return words;
    }

    public String promptForStory() {
        String story = console.readLine(
                "Please enter a story line %n%n" +
                        "(Enter a sentence with placeholders, i.e.: Thanks __name__ for helping me out.  " +
                        "%n%n Placeholder Format: " +
                        "%n __name__ = a name" +
                        "%n __adjective__ = an adjective" +
                        "%n __noun__ = a noun" +
                        "%n and so on...  : ");
        return story;
    }

    /**
     * Prompts the user for the answer to the fill in the blank. Value is guaranteed
     * to be not in the censored words list.
     *
     * @param phrase The word that the user should be prompted. eg: adjective,
     *               proper noun, name
     * @return What the user responded
     */
    public String promptForWord(String phrase) {
        String mPhrase = phrase;
        boolean isInvalidWord = false;
        String word;
        do {
            word = console.readLine("Please enter a(n) %s:  ", mPhrase);
            for (String censoredWord : mCensoredWords) {
                isInvalidWord = word.equalsIgnoreCase(censoredWord);
                if (isInvalidWord) {
                    console.printf("That language is not allowed. Try again. \n\n");
                    break;
                }
            }
        } while (isInvalidWord);

        return word;
    }
}

I'm not sure what else to do to complete this course. Can someone help?

Thank you, -Brian

3 Answers

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,732 Points

Here's a couple of hints:

  • the code creates an "mReader" object but doesn't seem to use it anywhere (it should!)
  • the compiler messages from the "Preview" button can be helpful
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,732 Points

You're very close .. but there's a couple of places in the code where a new BufferedReader (named "br") is constructed by passing the current one (mReader) as an argument to the constructor. There are two issues with this:

  • the correct argument to construct a BufferedReader should be a Reader, not another BufferedReader
  • why construct a new one at all, when the class already has mReader ready?

Ok, I removed the mReader entry as I now use Console.readLine(). Is that different implementation what is causing the problem for me?

Should I be using the mReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in)); method for input for the tests to pass?

I think I just answered my own question. :) These test may not be able to access Console?

I'll try this fix.

Thank you, -Brian

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,732 Points

So do you have it working now?

Thanks for checking! I didn't get a lot of time to work on it, but I got it farther... Using the InputStreamReader seems to be the trick to this, but then I fail on the second input (the prompt for the word that fits into the template). Am I not using the InputStreamReader line correctly? Can't I reuse mReader like I am here?

And now the Preview output is:

Please enter a story line 

(Enter a sentence with placeholders, i.e.: Thanks __name__ for helping me out.:  
Please enter a(n) first prompt:  java.lang.NullPointerException
    at com.teamtreehouse.Prompter.promptForWord(Prompter.java:99)
    at com.teamtreehouse.Prompter.promptForWords(Prompter.java:58)
    at com.teamtreehouse.Prompter.run(Prompter.java:38)
    at com.teamtreehouse.Main.main(Main.java:15)
    at JavaTester.run(JavaTester.java:77)
    at JavaTester.main(JavaTester.java:39)

Main.java

package com.teamtreehouse;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;


public class Main {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Prompter prompter = new Prompter();
        String story = prompter.promptForStory();
        Template tmpl = new Template(story);
        prompter.run(tmpl);
    }
}

Prompter.java

package com.teamtreehouse;
import java.io.*;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.*;

public class Prompter {
    private BufferedReader mReader;
    private Set<String> mCensoredWords;

    // Console console = System.console();

    public Prompter() {
        mReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        loadCensoredWords();
    }

    private void loadCensoredWords() {
        mCensoredWords = new HashSet<String>();
        Path file = Paths.get("resources", "censored_words.txt");
        List<String> words = null;
        try {
            words = Files.readAllLines(file);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.out.println("Couldn't load censored words");
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
        mCensoredWords.addAll(words);
    }

    public void run(Template tmpl) {
        List<String> results = null;
        try {
            results = promptForWords(tmpl);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.out.println("There was a problem prompting for words");
            e.printStackTrace();
            System.exit(0);
        }
        String storyResults = tmpl.render(results);
        System.out.printf("Your TreeStory:%n%n%s%n%n", storyResults);
    }

    /**
     * Prompts user for each of the blanks
     *
     * @param tmpl The compiled template
     * @return
     * @throws IOException
     */
    public List<String> promptForWords(Template tmpl) throws IOException {
        List<String> words = new ArrayList<String>();
        for (String phrase : tmpl.getPlaceHolders()) {
            String word = promptForWord(phrase);
            words.add(word);
        }
        return words;
    }

    public String promptForStory() {
        BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(mReader);
        String story;

        System.out.println("Please enter a story line \n\n" +
                        "(Enter a sentence with placeholders, i.e.: Thanks __name__ for helping me out.:  ");
        try {
            story = br.readLine();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        }
        return story;
    }

    /**
     * Prompts the user for the answer to the fill in the blank. Value is guaranteed
     * to be not in the censored words list.
     *
     * @param phrase The word that the user should be prompted. eg: adjective,
     *               proper noun, name
     * @return What the user responded
     */
    public String promptForWord(String phrase) {
        BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(mReader);
        String mPhrase = phrase;
        boolean isInvalidWord = false;
        String word;
        do {
            System.out.printf("Please enter a(n) %s:  ", mPhrase);
            try {
                word = br.readLine();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                throw new RuntimeException(e);
            }
            for (String censoredWord : mCensoredWords) {
                isInvalidWord = word.equalsIgnoreCase(censoredWord);
//                System.out.println("\n\n" + mPhrase + " " + isInvalidWord + " " + word);
                if (isInvalidWord) {
                    System.out.println("That language is not allowed. Try again. \n\n");
                    break;
                }
            }

        } while (isInvalidWord);

        return word;
    }
}