handle Exceptions casued by input scanner

studentaccount4 :

I'm trying to do encode/decode program and I'm encountering all kinds of Exceptions here!

problems that is popping up caused by multiple/single scanner/s:

  • InputMismatchException | NumberFormatException (ATTEMPT 2)

  • NoSuchElementException (ATTEMPT 3)

Before going through I would like to address that this is not a duplicate and I have looked up multiple problems on StackOverFlow of this kind and none helped me really much. Similiar problems that I've looked at: link1 link2

Note that the wished end results are like the results of the first attempt but with somehow better cleaner exception handling and closed scanners.

FIRST ATTEMPT

  • Now this program gives me the desired results but its a bad programming to have two scanners and one of them ( input method scanner ) is never closed:

    public static void main(String[] args) {
    Scanner sc=new Scanner (System.in);
    int choice = 0;
    do {
        System.out.println("This program to encode or decode a byte array " +
                "\n (o_O) Choices are: " +
                "\n 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode" +
                "\n 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode" +
                "\n 3: Press 3 to Exit!");
        try {
            //it has to be parseInt because if you used sc.nextInt() the program will go nuts even with try catch.
            choice=Integer.parseInt(sc.next());
            //choice=sc.nextInt();
            /*Question: why when i use this with the existing try catch i the program work for ever but when i use Integer.parseInt(sc.nextLine())
             * the program would normally ask for another value?
             */
        } catch (InputMismatchException | NumberFormatException e) {
            System.out.println("invalid type or format!");
        } catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
            System.out.println("no such");
            //break; if i uncomment this the programm will work For Ever
        }
        switch(choice){
    
        case 1 :
            System.out.println("entering the encode mode!");
            countAndEncode( input() );
            break;
        case 2 :
            countAndDecode( input() );
            break;
        case 3 :
            System.out.println("exiting...");
            break;
        default :
            System.out.println("please enter a valid option and valid format!");
        }
    
    } while (choice!=3);
    sc.close();
     }
    
     public static byte [] input() {
    //arrayList because we dont know the size of the array its like StringBuilder
    //ArrayList<Byte> inArray = new ArrayList<Byte>(); 
    //according to StackOverflow using ArrayList to store bytes is inefficient
    Scanner inScanner=new Scanner (System.in);
    
    ByteArrayOutputStream inArray= new ByteArrayOutputStream();
    
    System.out.println("enter a sequence of ints please! ");
    System.out.println("non-int will terminate the input!");
    
    while (inScanner.hasNext()) {
        byte i;
        try {
            i = inScanner.nextByte();
            inArray.write(i);
        } catch (InputMismatchException e) {
            System.out.println("input terminated!");
            break;
        }
    }
    //System.out.println(Arrays.toString(inArray.toByteArray()));
    //inScanner.close();
    return inArray.toByteArray();
     }
    

OUTPUT OF FIRST ATTEMPT:

This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm
(o_O) Choices are: 
 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode
 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode
 3: Press 3 to Exit!
 1
 entering the encode mode!
 enter a sequence of bytes please! 
 non-int will terminate the input!
 1
 1
 3
 e
 input terminated!
 [1, 1, 3]
 the encoded list is [-1, 1, 2, 3]
 This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm
 (o_O) Choices are: 
 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode
 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode
 3: Press 3 to Exit!
 At it goes forever without errors.

SECOND ATTEMPT

so what i did after one fellow of you guys sugessted to take a look at this problem link is this:

Now i didnt close the input scanner and i gave the input method a scanner as a parameter:

public static void main(String[] args) {
    Scanner sc=new Scanner (System.in);
    int choice = 0;
    do {
        System.out.println("This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm" +
                "\n (o_O) Choices are: " +
                "\n 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode" +
                "\n 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode" +
                "\n 3: Press 3 to Exit!");
        try {
            //it has to be parseInt because if you used sc.nextInt() the program will go nuts even with try catch.
            choice=Integer.parseInt(sc.next());
            //choice=sc.nextInt();
            /*Question: why when i use this with the existing try catch i the program work for ever but when i use Integer.parseInt(sc.nextLine())
             * the program would normally ask for another value?
             */
        } catch (InputMismatchException | NumberFormatException e) {
            System.out.println("invalid type or format!");
        } catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
            System.out.println("no such");//TODO SOLVE IT PLEASE ITS DRIVING ME CRAZYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!
            break;
        }
        switch(choice){

        case 1 :
            System.out.println("entering the encode mode!");
            countAndEncode( input(sc) );
            break;
        case 2 :
            //countAndDecode( input(sc) );
            break;
        case 3 :
            System.out.println("exiting...");
            break;
        default :
            System.out.println("please enter a valid option and valid format!");
        }

    } while (choice!=3);
    sc.close();
}
/**
 * with this method user will be able to give the desired sequence of bytes. 
 * @return a byte array to be encoded.
 */
public static byte [] input(Scanner inScanner) {
    //arrayList because we dont know the size of the array its like StringBuilder
    //ArrayList<Byte> inArray = new ArrayList<Byte>(); 
    //according to StackOverflow using ArrayList to store bytes is inefficient
    //Scanner   inScanner=new Scanner (System.in);

    ByteArrayOutputStream inArray= new ByteArrayOutputStream();

    System.out.println("enter a sequence of bytes please! ");
    System.out.println("non-int will terminate the input!");

    while (inScanner.hasNext()) {//TODO THIS MIGHT BE THE REASON FOR THE above "SUCH"
        byte i;
        try {
            i = inScanner.nextByte();   
            inArray.write(i);   
        } catch (InputMismatchException e) {
            System.out.println("input terminated!");
            break;
        }
    }
    System.out.println(Arrays.toString(inArray.toByteArray()));
    //inScanner.close();  dont close it because it cant be re-opened
    return inArray.toByteArray();
}

Doing so doesn't give me the desired results at all:

  • After choosing one to encode and receive the encoded bytes I will get stuck forever in the encoding mode and the InputMismatchException | NumberFormatException clause will get activated so I cant get a chance to select a new input!

    This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm (o_O) Choices are: 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode 3: Press 3 to Exit! 1 entering the encode mode! enter a sequence of bytes please! non-int will terminate the input! 1 e input terminated! 1 the encoded list is 1 This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm (o_O) Choices are: 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode 3: Press 3 to Exit! invalid type or format! entering the encode mode! enter a sequence of bytes please! non-int will terminate the input!

  • NOTES:

  • 1.commenting sc.close() in main caused the exact same error as above..
  • 2.that moving scanner above main and declaing it as a global static variable did the exact thing as the faild above results.

THIRD ATTEMPT

now i left both of the closed each scanner and this activated the NoSuchElementException in main Take a look:

public static void main(String[] args) {
    Scanner sc=new Scanner (System.in);
    int choice = 0;
    do {
        System.out.println("This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm" +
                "\n (o_O) Choices are: " +
                "\n 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode" +
                "\n 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode" +
                "\n 3: Press 3 to Exit!");
        try {
            //it has to be parseInt because if you used sc.nextInt() the program will go nuts even with try catch.
            choice=Integer.parseInt(sc.next());
            //choice=sc.nextInt();
            /*Question: why when i use this with the existing try catch i the program work for ever but when i use Integer.parseInt(sc.nextLine())
             * the program would normally ask for another value?
             */
        } catch (InputMismatchException | NumberFormatException e) {
            System.out.println("invalid type or format!");
        } catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
            System.out.println("no such");//TODO SOLVE IT PLEASE ITS DRIVING ME CRAZYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!
            break;
        }
        switch(choice){

        case 1 :
            System.out.println("entering the encode mode!");
            countAndEncode( input() );
            break;
        case 2 :
            //countAndDecode( input() );
            break;
        case 3 :
            System.out.println("exiting...");
            break;
        default :
            System.out.println("please enter a valid option and valid format!");
        }

    } while (choice!=3);
    sc.close();
}
/**
 * with this method user will be able to give the desired sequence of bytes. 
 * @return a byte array to be encoded.
 * @throws IOException 
 */
public static byte [] input() {
    //arrayList because we dont know the size of the array its like StringBuilder
    //ArrayList<Byte> inArray = new ArrayList<Byte>(); 
    //according to StackOverflow using ArrayList to store bytes is inefficient
    Scanner inScanner=new Scanner (System.in);

    ByteArrayOutputStream inArray= new ByteArrayOutputStream();

    System.out.println("enter a sequence of bytes please! ");
    System.out.println("non-int will terminate the input!");

    while (inScanner.hasNext()) {//TODO THIS MIGHT BE THE REASON FOR THE above "SUCH"
        byte i;
        try {
            i = inScanner.nextByte();   
            inArray.write(i);   
        } catch (InputMismatchException e) {
            System.out.println("input terminated!");
            break;
        }
    }
    System.out.println(Arrays.toString(inArray.toByteArray()));
    inScanner.close(); 
    return inArray.toByteArray();
}

in this attempt i , at least, might know what is causing the NoSuchElementException to jump up and i think its because closing one scanner will close the input stream for the whole code.(correct me if im wrong!)

OUTPUT FOR THE THIRD ATTEMPT IS:

This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm
(o_O) Choices are: 
 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode
 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode
 3: Press 3 to Exit!
 1
 entering the encode mode!
 enter a sequence of bytes please! 
 non-int will terminate the input!
-1
-1
 e
 input terminated!
 [-1, -1]
 the encoded list is [-1, -1, -1, -1]
 This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm
 (o_O) Choices are: 
 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode
 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode
 3: Press 3 to Exit!
no such

SOLUTION TO DISCUSS BY @Villat

First of all big thanks to you man for helping and investing time and effort. Now, i have small question regarding these lines:

 if(sc.hasNextInt()) choice=sc.nextInt();
            else {
                sc.next();
                continue;
            }
            error = false;
  • So let me see if i got this right, those lines play a role as a precaution,and please correct me if im wrong!, to prevent the Exception from popping up right.

So wouldnt it be enough to write the following ditching the try-catch blocks because NoSuchElementException has no chance to emerge and the InputMismatchException is being treated and prevented by the else block:

             while (error){
             if(sc.hasNextInt()) choice=sc.nextInt();
             else {
                 sc.next();
                 continue;
             }
             error = false;
             }

Just for training purpouses if i would like to Handle this error by try-catch block would you consider it clean and immune to Exceptions if i wrote it like this: (ditching the NumberFormatException)

-so Demonstrating the Handle variant of your answer would it be like this right?

                while (error){
                try {
                    choice=sc.nextInt();
                    error = false;                
                } catch (InputMismatchException /*| NumberFormatException*/ e) {
                    error = false;
                    //System.out.println("invalid type or format!");    
                    sc.next();
                    continue;
                }
            }
Villat :

I made a few changes to your code (and removed comments to make it more readable). Basically, I'm only using one Scanner right now, and I'm not moving forward into the options until a sc.nextInt() appears.

public static void main(String[] args){
    Scanner sc=new Scanner (System.in);
    int choice = 0;
    do {
        System.out.println("This is a program to encode or decode bytes based on RLE ALgorithm" +
                "\n (o_O) Choices are: " +
                "\n 1: Press 1 to enter the encode mode" +
                "\n 2: Press 2 to enter the decode mode" +
                "\n 3: Press 3 to Exit!");
        boolean error = true;
        while (error){
            try {
                if(sc.hasNextInt()) choice=sc.nextInt();
                else {
                    sc.next();
                    continue;
                }
                error = false;
            } catch (InputMismatchException | NumberFormatException e) {
                System.out.println("invalid type or format!");
            } catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
                System.out.println("no such");
            }
        }
        switch(choice){

            case 1 :
                System.out.println("entering the encode mode!");
                System.out.println(input(sc));
                break;
            case 2 :
                //countAndDecode(input(sc));
                break;
            case 3 :
                System.out.println("exiting...");
                break;
            default :
                System.out.println("please enter a valid option and valid format!");
        }

    } while (choice!=3);
    sc.close();
}

Input method:

public static byte [] input(Scanner sc) {
    ByteArrayOutputStream inArray= new ByteArrayOutputStream();

    System.out.println("enter a sequence of bytes please! ");
    System.out.println("non-int will terminate the input!");

    while (sc.hasNext()) {
        byte i;
        try {
            i = sc.nextByte();
            inArray.write(i);
        } catch (InputMismatchException e) {
            System.out.println("input terminated!");
            break;
        }
    }
    System.out.println(Arrays.toString(inArray.toByteArray()));
    return inArray.toByteArray();
}

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