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Thread: Find Biggest Number in Array

  1. #1
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    Default Find Biggest Number in Array

    I am trying to find the Biggest number in an array. I can't seem to get my coding down pat with it.
    		myarray[size] = JOptionPane.showInputDialog("Enter Number" + size + ":");
     
    		if (Integer.valueOf(myarray[size]) > 0 && Integer.valueOf(myarray[size]) <= 30)
    		{
     
    		}	
    		    //What to do if number entered does not fit criteria
    			else 
    			{
    				JOptionPane.showInputDialog("Please enter a number between 0 and 30");
    			}
    			if (myarray[size] > Biggest)
    			{
    				Biggest = myarray[size];
    				return int Biggest;
    			}
     
    		}

    This is what I am working with and like I said for some reason I can't get my code to return the biggest number that was entered.


  2. #2
    Super Moderator pbrockway2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Find Biggest Number in Array

    Does your code compile? If not and you can't understand the compiler messages, post them. Also post the code they refer to rather than just a small snippet.

    I am trying to find the Biggest number in an array.
    Before writing even a line of code decide *how* you are going to go about finding the biggest number in the array. This begins, not as a computer or coding problem, but as one of analysis and expression. Confronted with a long list of numbers how would you, yourself, determine the largest? What (if anything) would you have to remember as you worked through the problem? How many things would you have to remember?

    Such a "plan of attack" will form the basis of your code.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Find Biggest Number in Array

    No it does not compile. When I try to compile that code, I get an error of:
    error: cannot return a vlue from a method whose result type is void


    To answer your questions:
    --My plan of attack on how to write the code was all laid out, this was an "after-thought" that was requested to be added in. I feel like maybe I should have a variable that stores each number as it is entered into the array, and compare it to the previous number to see if it is larger. So for example maybe
    int x
    int y
     
    if x > y then keep X and let y be replaced by the next number in the array

    I just am not sure how to use java to code something like that.

    I have also tried using this:
    				int[] numbers = {myarray};
    				int max = 0;
    				for(int i=0;i<number.length;i++)
    				{
    					if(numbers[i] > max)
    					{
    						max = numbers[i];
    					}
    				}
    					JOptionPane.showInputDialog("The Largest Number entered is: ");

    But the error I get from this (I think) is complaining because I want to pull an int type from a string array!
    Last edited by jo15765; May 7th, 2012 at 07:52 AM.

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    Super Moderator Norm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Find Biggest Number in Array

    error: cannot return a value from a method whose result type is void
    Do you understand what the compiler is complaining about? If you want to return a value from a method, you must tell the compiler about it before you do it. Defining a method with void is telling the compiler that the method will not return any value.
    If you don't understand my answer, don't ignore it, ask a question.

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    Default Re: Find Biggest Number in Array

    Ah, that makes sense. I was barking up the wrong tree thinking the error was due to trying to pull an int from a string array. Let me work on the coding a little bit and declare my statements a little different and see what I can come up with.

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    Default Re: Find Biggest Number in Array

    try using an enhanced for loop instead of a normal for loop

    for example:

    package stuff;
     
    public class tester
    {
    	public static void main(String [] args)
    	{
    		int[] array = {5,2,7,5,6};
    		int largest = 0;
     
    //enhanced for loop here
     
    		for(int i : array)
    		{
    			if(i > largest)
    			{
    				largest = i;
    			}
    		}
    		System.out.println(largest);
     
    	}
    }

    This would print out the number 7. the enhanced for loop is for running through an array, list, arraylist, etc... It lasts as long as the length of what you're sorting through. It takes the first value from array, in this case 5, and puts it into " i " and from there, it runs the code in the loop until it runs out of values in the array.

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