Sort array of objects by field in Java: "variable cannot be resolved or is not a field"

Question

I am trying to sort an array of objects by field, but I keep getting this error saying that "price / location cannot be resolved or is not a field", even though they both are fields, declared in the class Realestate. I got the same error about "not being a field" when I was dealing with ArrayList as well, so I moved to simple arrays of objects and I'm still getting the same error. What am I doing wrong? I found info about comparing arrays with Comparable and Comparator but I don't undertand how to apply whatever results to the sorting routine. Please HELP! These are my files:

File Realestate:

public class Realestate {
    static String location = "";
    static String description = "";
    static String price = "";

    // constructor
    public Realestate(String loc, String desc, String prc) {
        location = loc;
        description = desc;
        price = prc;
    }
}

File RealestateFinder:

import java.util.*;

public class RealestateFinder {

    // Hold properties' info
    static String[] locations = {"Miami", "Las Vegas", "Paris", "London"};
    static String[] descriptions = {"1-bedroom", "2-bedrooms", "3-bedrooms", "penthouse"};
    static String[] prices = {"1,000,000", "2,000,000", "3,000,000", "4,000,000"};

    // Sort per field
    public static void sortArray(Realestate arr[]) {
        for(int x = 0; x < arr.length; ++x) {            
            //use array Sort
            Arrays.sort(arr);
        }           
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {        
        int numProperties = 4;

        //Create new Realestate object newProperty
        Realestate[] newProperty = new Realestate[numProperties]; 

        // Initialize array of objects Realestate[] newProperty using arrays from top
        for(int x = 0; x < newProperty.length; ++x) {
            newProperty[x] = new Realestate(locations[x], descriptions[x], prices[x]); // constructor
        }

        //Get user's input
        //...

        while(true) {
            if(holdUserInput == 1) {
                //sort per price
                sortArray(newProperty.price);//price cannot be resolved or is not a field
                break;
            }

            else if(holdUserInput == 2) {
                // sort per location
                sortArray(newProperty.location);//location cannot be resolved or is not a field
                break;
            }

            else {
                System.out.println("Program Ended \n");
                break;
            }// end else statement
        }// end while loop
    }// end main()
}// end class RealestateFinder

Well yes, newProperty is an array - the array doesn't have a price... Sounds like you might want to read stackoverflow.com/questions/5932720 — Jon Skeet
– Jon Skeet, Commented Jul 17, 2017 at 16:45
Your question has multiple problems unrelated to your question — ControlAltDel
– ControlAltDel, Commented Jul 17, 2017 at 16:47

azro · Accepted Answer · 2017-07-17 17:39:56Z

2

First you may not use static for your 3 fields, static means that it's not relative to a particular instance, which i not what you want to

Then use a List is easier to sort so :

int numProperties = 4;
List<Realestate> list = new ArrayList<>();
for (int x = 0; x < numProperties; ++x) {
    list.add(new Realestate(locations[x], descriptions[x], prices[x]));
}

Then, use existing methods to sort is quicker and easier to use :

while (true) {
    if (holdUserInput == 1) {
        list.sort(Comparator.comparing(Realestate::getPrice));
        break;
    } else if (holdUserInput == 2) {
        list.sort(Comparator.comparing(Realestate::getLocation));
        break;
    } else if (holdUserInput == 2) {
        list.sort(Comparator.comparing(Realestate::getDescription));
        break;
    } else {
        System.out.println("Program Ended \n");
        break;
    }// end else statement
}

And finally, because there is not sense to use while(true) and break, better use switch which is better :

switch (holdUserInput) {
    case 1:
        list.sort(Comparator.comparing(Realestate::getPrice));
        break;
    case 2:
        list.sort(Comparator.comparing(Realestate::getLocation));
        break;
    case 3:
        list.sort(Comparator.comparing(Realestate::getDescription));
        break;
    default:
        System.out.println("Program Ended \n");
        break;
}

answered Jul 17, 2017 at 17:39

azro

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1 Comment

Lele Over a year ago

Thank you, @azro, your answer was really helpful, not just for this code, but also to my understanding of a few concepts :)

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