Here is my program so far:
import java.util.Arrays;
public class HangmanWord {
private String[] possibleWords = {"laptop", "college", "programing"};
private String word;
private char[] progress;
private int wrongCount = 0;
public HangmanWord() {
int randomPossibleWord = (int) (Math.random() * possibleWords.length-1);
String word = possibleWords[randomPossibleWord];
char[] progress = new char[word.length()];
Arrays.fill(progress,'-');
}
public void display() {
System.out.print(progress);
System.out.println();
}
public boolean guess(char c) {
boolean matchFound = false;
for (int i = 0; i < word.length(); i++ ) {
if (word.charAt(i) == c ) {
progress[i] = c;
matchFound = true;
}
}
return false;
}
public boolean isSolved() {
for (int i = 0; i < progress.length; i++ ) {
if(progress[i] == '-'){
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
public int getWrongCount() {
return wrongCount;
}
public String getWord() {
return word;
}
}
public class Hangman {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int MAX_INCORRECT = 5;
System.out.println("Welcome to Hangman.");
HangmanWord wordObj = new HangmanWord();
System.out.print("Here is your word: ");
wordObj.display();
}
}
My output should look something like this:
Welcome to Hangman.
Here is your word: ------
However, I am getting the following errors:
Welcome to Hangman.
Here is your word: Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException
at java.io.Writer.write(Writer.java:127)
at java.io.PrintStream.write(PrintStream.java:503)
at java.io.PrintStream.print(PrintStream.java:653)
at HangmanWord.display(HangmanWord.java:16)
at Hangman.main(Hangman.java:9)
You are redefining the variable word and progress in your constructor. You should simply use them without declaring them as a new variables because they're already defined. Currently you are defining them locally, the constructor works but uses those local defined variables and not your object's word and progress variables, therefore when you leave scope and call display() it will use your object's progress array which was never actually initialized.
Change it to the following so you aren't redefining the variables word and progress like so
public HangmanWord() {
int randomPossibleWord = (int) (Math.random() * possibleWords.length-1);
word = possibleWords[randomPossibleWord];
progress = new char[word.length()];
Arrays.fill(progress,'-');
}