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Thread: while loop in GUI game

  1. #1
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    Default while loop in GUI game

    I have managed to create a simple GUI for a game which was previously a console game. The console application starts by showing a list of available monsters and the properties of each monster. Each monsters has a unique number which the user can refer to and has a type, a name, health points (HP) and a weapon. There are different weapons with different behaviours: Sword (slashes and reduces HP with 10), Hammer (hits and reduces HP with 20), Knife (stabs and reduces HP with 15), Club (clubs and reduces HP with 30). After showing the list, the application asks the user to select an attacker by inputting the number of one of the monsters. It then asks the user to select a vistim by inputting the number of another monster. Then the monsters "fight", i.e. if a user has selected "Jules" as the attacker (by inputting "1") and Mia as the victim (by inputting "4"), the application shows the following: Jules (a goblin) slashes Mia (an orc) with a sword. Mia loses 10HP. After the result has been shown, the application shows the list of monsters again, but now with the values changed. The process is then repeated until every monster has 0 HP except one monster, which will then be the victor. The victor is shown and the application ends. However, if the user selects the same monster as attacker and as victim (i.e. if input 1 == input 2 in the code), I want the game to not allow a monsters to attack itself. In the console game I achieved this easily by simply breaking out of the loop by using the "continue" keyword. However, that doesn't work with the GUI. What code do I use for that? Here is my code for when the user clicks the "Play" button after selecting an attacker and a victim:
        private void jButton1ActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                         
     
            //JList list = new JList(monsters);
            //list.setVisibleRowCount(4);
            //add(list);
     
            //showMonsters(monsters);
            while (true){
     
            String text1 = jTextField1.getText();
            int input1 = Integer.parseInt(text1);
            if (input1 <= 0 | input1 > monsters.length) {
                 JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"Please enter a number between 1 and "
                + monsters.length + "!");
            }
     
            Monster attacker = monsters[input1-1];
     
            String text2 = jTextField2.getText();
            int input2 = Integer.parseInt(text2);
            if (input2 <= 0 | input2 > monsters.length){
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"Please enter a number between 1 and "
                + monsters.length + "!", "Error Message", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
            }
     
            Monster victim = monsters[input2-1];
     
            if (input1 == input2) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"A monster cannot attack itself!", "Error Message", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
            }
     
            if (attacker.healthPoints == 0) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"A dead monster cannot attack another monster!", "Error Message", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
     
            }
     
    	if (victim.healthPoints == 0) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"A monster cannot attack a monster which is already dead!", "Error Message", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
     
    	}
     
            int lostHealthPoints;
     
    	if (victim.healthPoints < attacker.w.effect) {
                lostHealthPoints = victim.healthPoints;
    	} else {
                lostHealthPoints = attacker.w.effect;
    	}
     
    	victim.healthPoints = victim.healthPoints - attacker.w.effect;
     
    	if (victim.healthPoints < 0) {
                victim.healthPoints = 0;
    	}
     
            showFight(attacker, victim, lostHealthPoints);
     
            if (determineWinner(monsters, attacker).equals(attacker.name)) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, determineWinner(monsters, attacker)
    				+ " is the victor!");
                break;
            }       
        }                                        
      }


  2. #2
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    Default Re: while loop in GUI game

    I honestly lost your question in that wall of text. What are you trying to do? Why won't continue work?
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    Default Re: while loop in GUI game

    Sorry about all that text. When I use "continue" (see below), a pop up dialog appears saying that a monster cannot attack itself. Once you click OK the message box (saying "A monster cannot attack itself!") keeps appearing and does not disappear once OK is clicked. How do I solve this? Once again, the use of "continue" (as shown below) doesn't work:
     if (input1 == input2) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"A monster cannot attack itself!", "Error Message", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE); 
               continue;
            }

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    Default Re: while loop in GUI game

    If you do NOT change the value of input1 or input2 inside of the loop, then the if condition will always be true and you will continue to have the message displayed.

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    Default Re: while loop in GUI game

    Well, sounds like you don't want to continue that loop, you want to break out of it, right? Recommended reading: Branching Statements (The Java™ Tutorials > Learning the Java Language > Language Basics)
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    Default Re: while loop in GUI game

    I tried using "break" but that stops the game. It's strange that continue works when playing the game via console but it doesn't work with JOptionPane.

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    Default Re: while loop in GUI game

    Quote Originally Posted by Hamran2011 View Post
    I tried using "break" but that stops the game. It's strange that continue works when playing the game via console but it doesn't work with JOptionPane.
    It probably works because you ask the user for input again. How does it stop the game? I assume you have a GUI, right? Does that just disappear?

    I suggest throwing together an SSCCE that demonstrates the problem. Make sure it's as few lines as possible- the easier it is for us to help you, the faster you'll get a response.
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