why it does not work?

Question about the task

Longest string

Java Syntax, Level 7, Lesson 6

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I think I've tried everything and it still doesn't work that is wrong in my code?

1. Initialize the list of strings.
2. Read 5 strings from the keyboard and add them to this list.
3. Using a loop, find the longest string in the list.
4. Display the string. If there is more than one, display each on a new line.

Requirements:

In the main method, initialize the Solution class's existing strings field to a new ArrayList<>.
The program should read 5 strings from the keyboard and write them to the list of strings.
The program should display the longest string.
If several strings qualify as the longest, then you need to display each of them on a new line.

package com.codegym.task.task07.task0708; import java.io.BufferedReader; import java.io.InputStreamReader; import java.util.ArrayList; import java.util.List; /* Longest string */ public class Solution { private static List<String> strings; public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in)); strings = new ArrayList<String>(); ArrayList <String> haber= new ArrayList<String>(); for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++){ strings.add(reader.readLine()); } int a = strings.get(0).length(); String b = strings.get(0); for (int i = 0; i < strings.size(); i++){ if (strings.get(i).length() > a ){ b = strings.get(i); a = strings.get(i).length(); } else if (strings.get(i).length() < a) { b = b; a = a; } else if (strings.get(i).length() == a){ haber.add(strings.get(i)); a = a; } } if (a > haber.get(0).length()){ System.out.println(b); } else{ for (int i = 0; i < haber.size();i++){ System.out.println(haber.get(i)); } } //write your code here } }

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horst

Level 26 , Not in list

5 January 2020, 13:34

If two (or more) strings are of the same length, you need to print all of them. Although I roughly get your approach, I would get rid of the second ArrayList(haber), throw out some of the code that doesn't do anything (e.g. lines 33-38) and stick with the parts that you are doing completely right.

//Your first loop to read the strings is fine
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++){
            strings.add(reader.readLine());
}
// Then you have correctly set the first candidate for the maximum length:
int a = strings.get(0).length();

// now you iterate through the List again to find the "longest length"
for (int i = 0; i < strings.size(); i++){
            if (strings.get(i).length() > a ) {
                a = strings.get(i).length();
            }
}
// (the variable a does now store the maximum length, just what we need!)

// At last - and here was your main problem - you print EVERY item of the List that has the maximum length
for (int i = 0; i < strings.size();i++){
                // If the length of the current string is equal to the maximum length
               // Print the current string
 }

Of course you can think about doing this with even less loops, but I wanted to preserve some of your structure.

LucGar

Level 22 , Bilbao, Spain

5 January 2020, 15:21

I will try, thank you very much

LucGar

Level 22 , Bilbao, Spain

5 January 2020, 15:33

..... think that the solution was so simple and I did 1000 tests. Thanks a lot.

horst

Level 26 , Not in list

6 January 2020, 13:29

You're welcome! I am glad I could help and don't worry about the fact that the solutions often are so much simpler than the thousands of approaches we tried. I think this happens to all of us beginners all the time.

Fuzzy_Melon

Level 9 , United States

19 May 2020, 20:38

My favorite learn on this one- strings.add(reader.readLine()); if(strings.get(i).length() > maxlength) maxlength = strings.get(i).length();