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Java Java Objects (Retired) Harnessing the Power of Objects Incrementing

Eitay Zilbershmidet
Eitay Zilbershmidet
3,942 Points

Okay, so let's use our new isFullyCharged helper method to change our implementation details of the charge method. Let's

Hello,

I can't figure this out, what's wrong?

public class GoKart { public static final int MAX_ENERGY_BARS = 8; private String mColor; private int mBarsCount;

public GoKart(String color) { mColor = color; mBarsCount = 0; }

public String getColor() { return mColor; }

public void charge() { mBarsCount = MAX_ENERGY_BARS; }

public boolean isBatteryEmpty() { return mBarsCount == 0; }

public boolean isFullyCharged() { return mBarsCount == MAX_ENERGY_BARS; }

}

GoKart.java
public class GoKart {
  public static final int MAX_ENERGY_BARS = 8;
  private String mColor;
  private int mBarsCount;

  public GoKart(String color) {
    mColor = color;
    mBarsCount = 0;
  }

  public String getColor() {
    return mColor;
  }

  public void charge() {
    mBarsCount = MAX_ENERGY_BARS;
  }

  public boolean isBatteryEmpty() {
    return mBarsCount == 0;


  }

  public boolean isFullyCharged() {
    return mBarsCount == MAX_ENERGY_BARS;

    while (!isFullyCharged()) {
    return mBarsCount++;
    }
  }

}

7 Answers

Hi Eitay,

OK, so in this challenge we want to amend the charge method. At the moment, it looks like this:

  public void charge() {
    mBarsCount = MAX_ENERGY_BARS;
  }

so it just sets the mBarsCount member variable to be the value held in the constant, MAX_ENERGY_BARS.

What the question wants is to use the helper method isFullyCharged() to control a loop within the charge method. Inside this loop, mBarsCount will be incremented each time the code loops. The loop will stop depending on what comes back from isFullyCharged(). Let's have a look at the method - we aren't going to change this code; it works just fine but we need to see what it does:

  public boolean isFullyCharged() {
    return mBarsCount == MAX_ENERGY_BARS;
  }

This method compares the current value of mBarsCount with the value in MAX_ENERGY_BARS and will return a boolean depending on whether the two values are equal, or not. So, if the GoKart is fully charged, the two values are equal, and the method will return true. We want to the loop to stop when this happens.

So let's set up a while loop. Just a basic one first; just a skeleton:

while(//some condition){
  // change something
}

What do we want to change? The level of mBarsCount - when do we want to stop doing this? When isFullyCharged() returns true. Let's incorporate that:

while(isFullyCharged()){
  mBarsCount++;
}

Does that work for us? Not quite. Let's say that the GoKart is not fully charged. We want it to charge, right? But the while loop won't run because isFullyCharged() will return false. We want the condition in the loop to evaluate to true so that the loop will run, then, when the GoKart is fully charged, the condition must change to false so the loop stops. That's the exact opposite of what we have here. We can negate the condition using the NOT operator, the exclamation mark, !. That negates the condition so it will work as we want it to:

while(!isFullyCharged()){
  mBarsCount++;
}

So, we need to replace the current charge method's content with this loop:

  public void charge() {
    while(!isFullyCharged()){
      mBarsCount++;
    }
  }

With this, the GoKart will charge one bar at a time until the GoKart reaches the capacity defined in MAX_ENERGY_BARS.

Does that make sense? Let me know how you get on.

Steve.

Hi there,

Have a read through this post and let me know if that helps you understand the concepts here.

If not, shout back and I'll go through it. :+1:

Steve.

Eitay Zilbershmidet
Eitay Zilbershmidet
3,942 Points

Hi Steave,

Thank you for reply :) I have tried it but still, it doesn't work for me..

OK - have you reset your code back to the start? Do that, and I'll type up an explanation now. Give me a minute!

Steve.

That's an answer, not a comment. :wink:

Eitay Zilbershmidet
Eitay Zilbershmidet
3,942 Points

Hi Steve,

Thank you so mach :) You explained very well. Now I understand that my mistake was very foolish. I located my loop above the isFullyCharged() so it didn't copiled.

Thank you again

I've reset my code and changed it to match the way you've done it here, but still get the same error?? Need help.

./GoKart.java:29: error: incompatible types: int cannot be converted to boolean return mBarsCount++; ^

public class GoKart {
  public static final int MAX_ENERGY_BARS = 8;
  private String mColor;
  private int mBarsCount;

  public GoKart(String color) {
    mColor = color;
    mBarsCount = 0;
  }

  public String getColor() {
    return mColor;
  }

  public void charge() {
    while (!isFullyCharged()){
    mBarsCount++;
    }
  }

  public boolean isBatteryEmpty() {
    return mBarsCount == 0;
  }

  public boolean isFullyCharged() {
    return mBarsCount == MAX_ENERGY_BARS;

    while (!isFullyCharged()){
      return mBarsCount++;
    }
  }

}

unfortunately this didn't keep the format so its difficult to see what I may be doing wrong

Hi Melissa,

You have a while loop inside the isFullyCharged method. Remove that. This method just returns the comparison between mBarsCount and MAX_BARS. The rest looks OK.

Steve.

So, isFullyCharged just returns the comparison:

  public boolean isFullyCharged() {
    return mBarsCount == MAX_ENERGY_BARS;
  }

That was causing the error. That method returns a boolean and you had it returning an int by using return mBarsCount++.

Thank you I apparently just changed too many things.