How to match a string name into an array value?

hello guys,
i have a problem.

i have a class which i created an City array which contains the City name,  number of residents, number of neighborhoods.
in the City class i have a method calls : getCityName();
now, i have a class called Country.
in the Country class i have private variables of City[] cities - which are an array of Cities.
I need to create a method that will  get a city name from the user, and will print to the user, whether the name he entered  has a match to one of the city names in the array or not.
i tried to do so but it doesn't work for me .
every output is saying ""There was no match inside the citise array to the name " +cityName.. even if i put the same city names
please help me

import java.util.Scanner; public class Testerr { private City[] cities=new City[3]; City[] getCities() { return cities; } String returnMatch(String cityName) { String tempName=""; for(int j=0;j<3;j++) {  if(getCities()[j].getCityName().equals(cityName)) tempName=getCities()[j].getCityName(); else tempName="There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName; } return tempName; } public static void main(String[]args) {    Scanner scan=new Scanner(System.in);    Testerr test= new Testerr();    for(int j=0;j<3;j++)    {     System.out.println("Enter city name");    scan.next();    String cityName=scan.next();     System.out.println("Enter centerX");    double centerX=scan.nextDouble();     System.out.println("Enter centerY");    double centerY=scan.nextDouble();    Point center=new Point(centerX,centerY);     System.out.println("Enter centralX");    double centralX=scan.nextDouble();     System.out.println("Enter  centralY");    double centralY=scan.nextDouble();    Point central=new Point(centralX,centralY);     System.out.println("Enter residentsNumber");    int residentsNumber=scan.nextInt();     System.out.println("Enter neighborhoodsNumber");    int neighborhoodsNumber=scan.nextInt();    test.cities[j]=new City(cityName,center,central,residentsNumber,neighborhoodsNumber);    }     System.out.println("Enter city name");    String cityName=scan.next();    System.out.println(test.returnMatch(cityName)); } }

cause you're searching for the city in an empty array of cities.
You don't initialize the values of the array.
Note, this is the 4th or 5th question you ask about the same subject, but after getting some response you never let us know if you got it working, a little feedback or thanks on the responses you get would be nice...

Take a look at this:
String returnMatch(String cityName) { String tempName=""; for(int j=0;j<3;j++) {  if(getCities()[j].getCityName().equals(cityName)) tempName=getCities()[j].getCityName(); else tempName="There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName; } return tempName; Go through it step by step.  Keep in mind what tempName will be.  What happens if cityName isn't the last element in your array?

Daniel Demesmaecker wrote:cause you're searching for the city in an empty array of cities

Ha!  That too, huh?

Daniel Demesmaecker wrote:cause you're searching for the city in an empty array of cities.
You don't initialize the values of the array.
Note, this is the 4th or 5th question you ask about the same subject, but after getting some response you never let us know if you got it working, a little feedback or thanks on the responses you get would be nice...

I do initialize the values of the cities array in the loop in the main method

and about the feedback you are right, usually when i don't answer it means you helped me and i don't need to ask anything else but you are  right this is not kind and from now on i will answer on your answers

Knute is still right...
You have to break out of the loop once you found the right value...

Knute Snortum wrote:Take a look at this:
String returnMatch(String cityName) { String tempName=""; for(int j=0;j<3;j++) {  if(getCities()[j].getCityName().equals(cityName)) tempName=getCities()[j].getCityName(); else tempName="There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName; } return tempName; Go through it step by step.  Keep in mind what tempName will be.  What happens if cityName isn't the last element in your array?

cityName isn't need to be a value inside the array, the cityName is a name that the user input and then by the for loop , it search for a match between the tempName and the user's input name.

I have a lot of probs reading you code, I believe C.R already gave you the advice once to put the code to initialize your array in your constructor...

Daniel Demesmaecker wrote:No you don't, the class you thin you initialize is test and the class that returns the array is tester, even if you would Knute is still right...
You have to break out of the loop once you found the right value...

But test is an object of the Testerr class, so i initialize the test class because only there i can initialize the array values , and about the loop and the value, inside the loop i said :
if the array of the index "j" . get the name of the object is  equals to the given input from the user.
and you are right, i put a break after the "if " statement and its command below, but still. i get the output of "There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName"

can you show me the way  i will get the output of the "cityName" and not the output saying "There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName;"
i'm so lost

public static void main(String[]args) {    Scanner scan=new Scanner(System.in);    Testerr test= new Testerr();    for(int j=0;j<3;j++)    {     System.out.println("Enter city name");    scan.next();    String cityName=scan.next();    // ...    test.cities[j]=new City(cityName,center,central,residentsNumber,neighborhoodsNumber);    }     System.out.println("Enter city name");    String cityName=scan.next();    System.out.println(test.returnMatch(cityName)); } Here test is a local variable because it's declared within the main method.  It goes out of scope when you call the returnMatch() method.

If I was you I would have a look at some tutorials on how to write clean code, it would greatly aprove the readabillity of your code and not only help others that trying to help you understand your code better, but also yourself when you getting back to it after a long time.

can you show me the way  i will get the output of the "cityName" and not the output saying "There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName;"
i'm so lost

simply at break; to your if statement

rian bron wrote:can you show me the way  i will get the output of the "cityName" and not the output saying "There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName;"
i'm so lost

Well, I'm not sure why you would need the variable test at all.  Why not use cities?  

Knute Snortum wrote:

rian bron wrote:can you show me the way  i will get the output of the "cityName" and not the output saying "There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName;"
i'm so lost

Well, I'm not sure why you would need the variable test at all.  Why not use cities?  

import java.util.Scanner; public class Testerr { static private City[] cities=new City[3]; static City[] getCities() { return cities; } static String returnMatch(String cityName) { String tempName=""; for(int j=0;j<3;j++) {  if(getCities()[j].equals(cityName)) { tempName=getCities()[j].getCityName(); break; } else tempName="There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName; } return tempName; } public static void main(String[]args) {    Scanner scan=new Scanner(System.in);        for(int j=0;j<3;j++)    {     System.out.println("Enter city name");    scan.next();    String cityName=scan.next();     System.out.println("Enter centerX");    double centerX=scan.nextDouble();     System.out.println("Enter centerY");    double centerY=scan.nextDouble();    Point center=new Point(centerX,centerY);     System.out.println("Enter centralX");    double centralX=scan.nextDouble();     System.out.println("Enter  centralY");    double centralY=scan.nextDouble();    Point central=new Point(centralX,centralY);     System.out.println("Enter residentsNumber");    int residentsNumber=scan.nextInt();     System.out.println("Enter neighborhoodsNumber");    int neighborhoodsNumber=scan.nextInt();    cities[j]=new City(cityName,center,central,residentsNumber,neighborhoodsNumber);    }     System.out.println("Enter city name");    scan.nextLine();    String cityName=scan.nextLine();    System.out.println(returnMatch(cityName)); } }

Still won't work

Daniel Demesmaecker wrote:If I was you I would have a look at some tutorials on how to write clean code, it would greatly aprove the readabillity of your code and not only help others that trying to help you understand your code better, but also yourself when you getting back to it after a long time.

You can also read the Wiki entry for HowToFormatCode (that's a link).

can you show me the way  i will get the output of the "cityName" and not the output saying "There was no match inside the citise array to the name "+cityName;"
i'm so lost

simply at break; to your if statement

And use a variable that's in scope for both the main() method and the returnMatch() method.

Look at this closely:
if (getCities()[j].equals(cityName)) { What are you comparing?  A City or a cityName?

Knute Snortum wrote:Look at this closely:
if (getCities()[j].equals(cityName)) { What are you comparing?  A City or a cityName?

i want to compare the cityName , thats why i need to wriite   if (getCities()[j].getCityName().equals(cityName)) {

I haven't really tried it, but you could do something like this...
public class City {    private String cityName;    private Point central;    private int centralX;    private long nrOfResidents;    private int neighbourhoodNr;    public City(Scanner input) {        System.out.println("Enter cityname please");        cityName = input.nextLine();        System.out.println("Enter nr of residents please");        nrOfResidents = input.nextLong();        System.out.println("Enter the neighbourhoodNumber please");        neighbourhoodNr = input.nextInt();        System.out.println("Enter centralX");        centralX = input.nextInt();        System.out.println("Enter centralY");        central = new Point(centralX, input.nextInt());        input.nextLine();    }    public String getCityName() {        return cityName;    } }
public class CityArray {    private List<City> cities = new ArrayList<>();    public CityArray(int size, Scanner input) {        for(int i = 0; i < size; i++){            cities.add(new City(input));        }    }    public List<City> getCities() {        return cities;    } }
public class Tester {    public boolean check(String cityName, List<City> cities){        for(City city : cities){            if(city.getCityName().equalsIgnoreCase(cityName)){                return true;            }        }        return false;    } }
public class Main {    public static void main(String[] args) {        Scanner input =  new Scanner(System.in);        System.out.println("Please enter the to search cityname");        String cityName = input.nextLine();        if(new Tester().check(cityName, new CityArray(3, input).getCities())){            System.out.println(cityName + " has bin found in the list");        }else{            System.out.println(cityName + " couldn't be found in the list");        }    } }
We don't know what you're trying to do in your other classes, so this will not be a copy paste solution (which isn't the purpose anyway), but it should give you at least an idea of how to tackle your prob

rian bron wrote:i want to compare the cityName , thats why i need to wriite   if (getCities()[j].getCityName().equals(cityName)) {

Correct.  And you don't need the getCities() method, just cities[j].getCityName().equals(cityName).