I'm trying to extend the AbstractAction class with subclass ColorAction. This class handles the ActionPerformed method by taking the input of the user, in string format, and matching it up with a Color value within colorKey, a HashMap of String keys and Color Objects. If no Color object is found with the specified key, it will throw an exception.
For the life of me, I cant figure out how to do this. Maybe my game is off? Should I take the String input, which should be the name of a color, and check that the specified String matches one of the Color Objects? Should I make the ActionEvent equal to the user inputting a color? I have so many ideas racing through my head, with no sure winner.
public class ColorAction extends AbstractAction{
Map<String, Color> colorMap;
private String input;
public ColorAction(String in) {
input = in;
colorMap = new HashMap<>(); //how can i enter a value that is a full range of colors?
}
@Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
if(colorMap.containsKey(input){
//...
}
}
}
1 Answer
If I understood your goal correctly, colorMap is an independent map predefined by you, and should therefore be static.
This is a possible way to fill a static map:
private static final Map<String, Color> colorMap = createColorMap();
private static Map<String, Color> createColorMap() {
Map<String, Color> colorMap = new HashMap<>();
//Fill colorMap
return colorMap;
}
Also, you can normally get the user input by calling e.getActionCommand() in the actionPerformed method. I don't see why you would pass the user input to the ColorAction's constructor.
@Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
//Assumes the map doesn't have any keys containing upper case letters.
//By calling toLowerCase, if the user inputs "Red", it would still match
//the key "red".
String input = e.getActionCommand().toLowerCase();
if(colorMap.containsKey(input){
//...
}
}
That said, you probably won't need a constructor at all.
