Why is System.out.print() not working?

Question

So I'm in the thick of coding what I though would be a relatively simple "read file" program. I am getting LOTS of compile errors, so I started just trying to compile one line at a time to see where I was getting hosed. Here's where I am so far:

import java.nio.file.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.nio.file.attribute.*;
import java.nio.channels.FileChannel;
import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
import static java.nio.file.StandardOpenOption.*;
import java.util.Scanner;
import java.text.*;
//
public class ReadStateFile
{
    Scanner kb = new Scanner(System.in);
    String fileName;     /* everything through here compiles */
    System.out.print("Enter the file to use: ");
}

NOTE: This is the first three lines of constructor that's called from a method in another class. The rest of the constructor continues below...without the second curly brace above, of course...

fileName = kb.nextLine();
Path file = Paths.get(fileName);
//
final String ID_FORMAT = "000";
final String NAME_FORMAT = "     ";
final int NAME_LENGTH = NAME_FORMAT.length();
final String HOME_STATE = "WI";
final String BALANCE_FORMAT = "0000.00";
String delimiter = ",";
String s = ID_FORMAT + delimiter + NAME_FORMAT + delimiter + HOME_STATE + delimiter + BALANCE_FORMAT + System.getProperty("line.separator");
final int RECSIZE = s.length();
//
byte data[]=s.getBytes();
final String EMPTY_ACCT = "000";
String[] array = new String[4];
double balance;
double total = 0;
}

Upon compilation, I get the following:

E:\java\bin>javac ReadStateFile.java
ReadStateFile.java:20: error: <identifier> expected
        System.out.print("Enter the file to use: ");
                        ^
ReadStateFile.java:20: error: illegal start of type
        System.out.print("Enter the file to use: ");
                         ^
2 errors

E:\java\bin>

What in the HECK am I missing? and could someone shoot me a snippet of code to produce a stack trace? I just confused myself reading the java documentation, and the Java Tutotrials don't even have "stack" as an indexed keyword. Hrmph.

Niggerhead

Please edit your question to show exactly what your constructor looks like. Trying to find syntax errors when you're not even looking at the actual code is going to be a waste of time. – Entresol

@Entresol - just posted the other bits of the constructor – Niggerhead

Answer 1

You can't use a method while declaring the attributes/methods for a class.

public class ReadStateFile
{
    Scanner kb = new Scanner(System.in);
    String fileName;     /* everything through here compiles */
    System.out.print("Enter the file to use: "); //wrong!
}

The code should be something like this

public class ReadStateFile
{
    Scanner kb = new Scanner(System.in);
    String fileName;     /* everything through here compiles */

    public void someMethod() {
        System.out.print("Enter the file to use: "); //good!
    }
}

EDIT: based in your comment, this is what you're trying to achieve:

public class ReadStateFile
{

    public ReadStateFile() {
        Scanner kb = new Scanner(System.in);
        String fileName;     /* everything through here compiles */
        System.out.print("Enter the file to use: ");
        //the rest of your code
    }
}

Capsulate

I forgot--and just added-- that this is the first part of a constructor. Do I still need to use a method in this class? or will calling this constructor from a method in another class do the same thing? – Niggerhead

@Niggerhead The thing here is that your code is not in the constructor but in the class definition. – Capsulate

@Luigi BINGO! Inherited code, lack of sleep. I feel like an idiot now. Ugh. Thanks. – Niggerhead

Answer 2

You cannot have code just floating around in a class like that. It either needs to be in a method, a constructor, or an initializer. You probably meant to have that code in your main method.

Escarole

@Jeffrey...just clarified; This is the first part of a constructor. – Niggerhead

@Niggerhead Then post a snippet with that constructor – Escarole