java.lang.NullPointerException error

[sammyboy78]

Hello again,
This time I'm creating a program that creates an array of CD objects and then displays the information. I've created a CD class, a CDInventory class and then a CDInventoryDisp lay to use the previos two. I've gotten all of this code oto compile but I'm still doing something wrong. I'm about to pull my hair out! When I run my CDInventoryDisp lay program it comes back with this error:

C:\Documents and Settings\Sam>ja va CDInventoryDisp lay
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullP ointerException
at CDInventory.cal culateInventory Value(CDInvento ry.java:35)
at CDInventoryDisp lay.main(CDInve ntoryDisplay.ja va:11)

Here are my codes:

// CD class
// represents a compact disc

public class CD
{
	private String title; // CD title (name of product)
	private String number; // CD product number
	private int numStock; // CD stock number
	private double price; // price of CD

	// constructor initializes CD information
	public CD( String cdTitle, String productNumber, int numberInStock, double cdPrice )
	{
		title = cdTitle;
		number = productNumber;
		numStock = numberInStock;
		price = cdPrice;

	} // end constructor

	public String toString()
	{
		return title + number + numStock + price;
	} // end method toString

} // end class CD

// CDInventory.java
// an inventory of CDs

public class CDInventory
{
	private CD compactDiscs[]; //declaration of an array of CD objects
	private double inventoryValue;
	private String titles[];
	private String productNumbers[];
	private int stockAmounts[];
	private double prices[];

	public CDInventory()//constructor fills CD inventory
	{
		String titles[] = { "Sixpence None the Richer" , "Clear" , "NewsBoys: Love Liberty Disco" , "Skillet: Hey You, I Love Your Soul" , "Michael Sweet: Real"};
		String productNumbers[] = { "D121401" , "D126413" , "2438-51720-2" , "D122966" , "020831-1376-204" };
		int stockAmounts[] = { 12, 15 , 7, 10, 9 };
		double prices[] = {11.99 , 9.99 , 12.99 , 10.99 , 9.99};

		compactDiscs = new CD[ 5 ]; // creation of an array of CD objects

		for (int count = 0; count < compactDiscs.length; count++ ) // populate inventory with CD objects
		{
			compactDiscs[ count ] = new CD( titles[ count ], productNumbers[ count ], stockAmounts[ count ], prices[ count ] );
		}// end for

	} // end CDInventory constructor

	public void calculateInventoryValue( )
	{
		double total = 0.00;

		for ( int count = 0; count < compactDiscs.length; count++ )
		{
			total += stockAmounts[ count ] *  prices[ count ];

		} // end for

		inventoryValue = total;

	} //end calculateInventoryValue

	public double getInventoryValue()
	{
		return inventoryValue;

	} //end getInventoryValue

	public void toBuildString()
	{
		for( int count = 0; count < compactDiscs.length; count++ )
		{
			System.out.printf( "%s%-34s%-16d%-11f%-22f\n", titles[ count ], productNumbers[ count ], stockAmounts[ count ], prices[ count ] );
		}// end for


	} // end method toBuildString


}// end class

// CDInventoryDisplay.java
// inventory display application

public class CDInventoryDisplay
{
	// execute application
	public static void main( String args[] )
	{
		CDInventory myCDInventory = new CDInventory();

		myCDInventory.calculateInventoryValue();

		System.out.printf( "%-34s%-16s%-16s%-15s", "Title", "Product Number" , "Amount in Stock" , "Item Price" );

		System.out.printf( "%s%.2f" , "The total value of the inventory is: $", myCDInventory.getInventoryValue() );

	} // end main

} // end class

[r035198x]

A nullpointer exception is thrown when you try to dereference a variable pointing to null. In your method that is throwing this exception, you have three arrays that you are dereferencing. So one of them is null at the time of call. However, the jre has also given you the line number where the nullpointer was thrown. So if you look at your code at that line number, you can tell which array was null. This is how you should be removing errors/exceptions from your programs. The compiler or the jre always tries to give you the exact line number of the problem.

[sammyboy78]

A nullpointer exception is thrown when you try to dereference a variable pointing to null. In your method that is throwing this exception, you have three arrays that you are dereferencing. So one of them is null at the time of call. However, the jre has also given you the line number where the nullpointer was thrown. So if you look at your code at that line number, you can tell which array was null. This is how you should be removing errors/exceptions from your programs. The compiler or the jre always tries to give you the exact line number of the problem.

Yeah, I had been working on line 35 for a couple of hours. I just don't know what to try anymore and I'm not sure what dereferencing is, I don't think I've gotten that far in my textbook yet. I don't understand why the arrays are null since they're getting initialized with values in the constructor. I'm only here because I can't find the answers in my textbook and I've already spent hours trying to fix the problems myself.

Be gentle, I'm only 5 weeks old...

[JosAH]

I don't understand why the arrays are null since they're getting initialized with values in the constructor.

No they're not: you defined a couple of variables local to the constructor again
and you initialized those instead of your member array variables. In other words:
your member array variables are still null which explains the exception that was
thrown at you.

kind regards,

Jos