Java 1.4.2 - Reading Files

Question

I am trying to read a simple file and then a file which the user is supposed to select. I keep on getting the following error though:

Readzilla.java:3

Answer 1

Your problem is this line:

line = read.FileReader(newDoc);

There is no method named FileReader on the class BufferedReader, which is how the compiler is interpreting that line. FileReader is itself a class, and it looks like you're trying to open a new file for reading. Thus, you'd want to say something like:

BufferedReader doc = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(newDoc));

After that, you'd want to replace

line = read.readLine();

with

line = doc.readLine()

because that's how you'd read from the document referenced by the BufferedReader doc.

Additionally, you have a problem here (twice that I see):

loop == "Y"

In Java, == is reference equality only. You absolutely want value equality here so say:

"Y".equals(loop);

This is a common mistake; == as reference equality only was a poor design decision IMO.

Answer 2

You cannot invoke a constructor from an object, only when you create the object with 'new'. You would just say 'line = read.readLine();' for the problem line.

Answer 3

BufferedReader class doesn't have a method called FileReader.

You can see it in the documentation.

One way of reading a file in Java 1.4.2 is:

try
{
    String line;
    File file = new File(file);
    BufferedReader inFile = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(file));
    while((line = inFile.readLine()) != null)
    {
            System.out.println(line)
    }
    inFile.close();
}
catch (IOException e)
{
    System.out.println("problem with file");
}