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Java Java Objects Creating the MVP Counting Scrabble Tiles

Posted by grctniu75rx
grctniu75rx
6,328 Points

stuck with returning numbers based on how many times a letter is found in a phrase in Java

"You'll need to use your skills to loop through each of the tiles, use an equality check, and then increment a counter if the tile and letter match. You got this!

Now in your new method, have it return a number representing the count of tiles that match the letter that was passed in to the method. Make sure to check Example.java for some example uses."

To be honest, I have spent way too much time doing this, and after I seem to get far using one possible answer or another, I always end up very close but not complete. At this point I am just wasting time. How would anyone suggest to code this with the shortest possible syntax, as I seem to be over-complicating everything.

See the last method.

ScrabblePlayer.java 
public class ScrabblePlayer {
  // A String representing all of the tiles that this player has
  private String tiles;

  public ScrabblePlayer() {
    tiles = "";
  }

  public String getTiles() {
    return tiles;
  }

  public void addTile(char tile) {
    tiles += tile;
  }

  public boolean hasTile(char tile) {
    return tiles.indexOf(tile) != -1;
  }
  public int getCountOfLetter(char letter){


  }
}
Example.java 
// This code is here for example purposes only
public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    ScrabblePlayer player1 = new ScrabblePlayer();
    player1.addTile('d');
    player1.addTile('d');
    player1.addTile('p');
    player1.addTile('e');
    player1.addTile('l');
    player1.addTile('u');

    ScrabblePlayer player2 = new ScrabblePlayer();
    player2.addTile('z');
    player2.addTile('z');
    player2.addTile('y');
    player2.addTile('f');
    player2.addTile('u');
    player2.addTile('z');

    int count = 0;
    // This would set count to 1 because player1 has 1 'p' tile in her collection of tiles
    count = player1.getCountOfLetter('p');
    // This would set count to 2 because player1 has 2 'd'' tiles in her collection of tiles
    count = player1.getCountOfLetter('d');
    // This would set 0, because there isn't an 'a' tile in player1's tiles
    count = player1.getCountOfLetter('a');

    // This will return 3 because player2 has 3 'z' tiles in his collection of tiles
    count = player2.getCountOfLetter('z');
    // This will return 1 because player2 has 1 'f' tiles in his collection of tiles
    count = player2.getCountOfLetter('f');
  }
}
Fahri Can
Fahri Can
9,921 Points
Fahri Can
Fahri Can
9,921 Points

You should use a enhanced for loop

4 Answers

Fahri Can
Fahri Can
9,921 Points
Fahri Can
Fahri Can
9,921 Points

Iterate with a enhanced for loop through your String tiles and compare it with a IF-Statement, if it is equal with your parameter.

public int getCountOfLetter(char letter){

  int count = 0;
  for (char temp : tiles.toCharArray()) {
      if (temp == letter) {
        count++;
    }
  }
  return count;

}

Fahri Can
Fahri Can
9,921 Points
Fahri Can
Fahri Can
9,921 Points

I hope this helps

grctniu75rx
grctniu75rx
6,328 Points

Oh! Thank you so much, I kept trying to do it with reusing the char letter in the for loop instead of declaring the new temp, I completely understand it now!

Nirbhay Agarwal
Nirbhay Agarwal
2,852 Points

Instead of adding new temp variable we can use the tile

tile == letter

Mehmet Arabaci
Mehmet Arabaci
4,432 Points
Mehmet Arabaci
Mehmet Arabaci
4,432 Points

Hi, Okay I struggled with this one a bit too. I understand that the code below is the answer from reading this forum but, I have some questions to understand why

  public int getCountOfLetter(char letter) {
        int numberCount = 0;
        for (char i : tiles.toCharArray()) {
            if (letter == i) {
                numberCount++;
            }           
        }
        return numberCount;

1./ when I first did the code I was testing the char letter which was passed to the method. Why doesn't this work? i.e.

  for (letter : tiles.toCharArray()) {

Does this not mean test if the variable letter : [is in] tile.CharArray() ? and that way we could do something like if true numberCount +1?

2./ Secondly obviously seen as the right answer was to use a temp variable, why were we able to define and initialize it within the for loop rather than having to do it the usual way of:

Char i;

and then using it from here?

Thanks

Andrew Winkler
Andrew Winkler
37,739 Points
Andrew Winkler
Andrew Winkler
37,739 Points

i felt like it made more sense using a basic for loop, so here's my code that passed.

  public int getCountOfLetter(char letter) {

    //set count to zero
    int count = 0;

    //go through each letter of the tiles with a for loop
    for (int i = 0; i < tiles.length(); i++){

      //you can only compare one letter at a time so set it to c
      char c = tiles.charAt(i);        

      //compare the singular letter 'c' to the tile submitted as an argument
      if ( c == tile){

        //if true, add one to count
        count++;
      } 
    }
    //end for loop and return count
    return count;
  }
chase singhofen
chase singhofen
3,811 Points
chase singhofen
chase singhofen
3,811 Points

i would have never know to use the temp also, i was putting the loop under and outside of the public int getCountOfLetter(char letter){ method

looking at the example.java didnt help much i was just trying to return a value i.e. return 5, 6, 2 ect. then i tried using count and a value.

i dont understand the syntax errors much but have learned to check my braces {}