illegal start of expression line 21, position 358

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package com.codegym.task.task02.task0217; /* Minimum of four numbers */ public class Solution { public static int min(int a, int b, int c, int d) { // int m; if (f <= c && a <= d) { m = f; } else if (c <= f && c <= d) { m = c; } else { m = d; } public static int min(int a, int b) { // int f; if (a <= b) { f = a; } else { f = b; } return m; } public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { System.out.println(min(-20, -10)); System.out.println(min(-20, -10, -30, -40)); System.out.println(min(-20, -10, -30, 40)); System.out.println(min(-40, -10, -30, 40)); } }

Write a function that computes the minimum of four numbers.
The function min(a, b, c, d) should use (call) the function min(a, b)

Hint:
You need to write the body of the two existing min functions.

Requirements:

The program should display text on the screen.
The min methods should not display text on the screen.
The main method should call min(a, b) and min(a, b, c, d).
The main method should display the result of the min methods. Each time, on a new line.
The min(a, b) method must return the minimum of the numbers a and b.
The min(a, b, c, d) method must use the min(a, b) method.
The min(a, b, c, d) method must return the minimum of the numbers a, b, c, and d.

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Yuliya Samsonava

Level 3 , United States

23 September 2020, 23:06

What means "illegal start of expression line 21, position 358"?

Nouser

Level 36 , Germany

23 September 2020, 07:46

closing bracket missing for the else in line 17 then you can go hunt the other problems ;)

Yuliya Samsonava

Level 3 , United States

23 September 2020, 23:07

Do not think I can do anything else. I've been doing this for two days

Nouser

Level 36 , Germany

24 September 2020, 08:20

A method body always is inside curly brackets. If you leave away the closing bracket, the compiler thinks another expression (command, variable declaration etc.) is following. When, like here a new method definition is following, then this is not allowed and the compiler tells you that. A new method is an illegal start of an expression. So insert a closing bracket before at line 20. Next problem is, the method public static int min(int a, int b, int c, int d) has a return type int put you do not return anything. Before the mentioned closing bracket you need a return statement that returns an int. So add return m; (just so we get it to compile) Next problem in the min(int, int, int, int) method is, that it uses a variable f that hasn't been declared. I have no clue what that is for so just change the f variables to b (3 times) so we get the program to compile. Same in the min(int, int) method, you return a variable m that hasn't been declared before. I guess you mean f. Do that and change return m; to return f; Now compile that program and run it. At least it should do that even with wrong results. Think about the min method taking 4 ints.... and try to include the min method taking 2 ints. If you declare helper variables (m and n) and let one of these helper variables hold the minimum of a, b and the other the min of c and d, then the min of m, n is the result you should return.

public static int min(int a, int b, int c, int d) {
    int m, n;
    m = min(a, b);
    n = min(c, d);
    return min(m, n);
    //or shorter instead of the 4 lines above
    //return min(min(min(a, b), min(c, d)));
}

Yuliya Samsonava

Level 3 , United States

1 October 2020, 14:17

Yes, it's running, thank you!