printing nil objects

[finer recliner]

hey, im pretty new to ruby and im having trouble. this is not my
original code (much longer), but i quickly rewrote the part of the
data structure that was creating the problem so i could post it here:

i have a node class that is used to make a linked list. the node
object has a value, a pointer to the next node in the list, and
another node that is sometimes used to point to another node in the
list somewhere.
when pointer2 is not used it is set to nil. However when i try to
print out my linked list (which will print each node's values and
where its pointers are pointing) it crashes when it reaches a pointer
set to nil.

i tried making an if-then-else check, but it doesnt seem to work. can
anyone help me? thanks in advance.

class Node

def initialize(v,p1,p2)
@value = v
@pointer1 = p1      #next node
@pointer2 = p2      #points to another node
end

def getP1
@pointer1
end

def setP1(x)
@pointer1 = x
end

def getP2
@pointer2
end

def setP2(x)
@pointer2 = x
end

def getV
@value
end

def setV(x)
@value = x
end

end


### code starts here ###
c1 = Node.new(1,nil,nil)
c2 = Node.new(2,nil,nil)
c3 = Node.new(3,nil,nil)

c1.setP1(c2)
c1.setP2(c2)
c2.setP1(c3)


current = c1
while current.getP1 != nil
print "value = #{current.getV}, pointer1 = #{current.getP1.getV},
"
if current.getP2.getV != nil then print "pointer2 =
#{current.getP2.getV}\n" else print "null\n" end
current = current.getP1
end

output:
$ ruby node.rb
value = 1, pointer1 = 2, pointer2 = 2
node.rb:49: undefined method `getV' for nil:NilClass (NoMethodError)
value = 2, pointer1 = 3,
$

 

[Enrique Comba Riepenhausen]

### code starts here ###

c1 = Node.new(1,nil,nil)
c2 = Node.new(2,nil,nil)
c3 = Node.new(3,nil,nil)

c1.setP1(c2)
c1.setP2(c2)
c2.setP1(c3)


current = c1
while current.getP1 != nil
print "value = #{current.getV}, pointer1 = #{current.getP1.getV},
"
if current.getP2.getV != nil then print "pointer2 =
#{current.getP2.getV}\n" else print "null\n" end
current = current.getP1
end
[/code]

Your problem lies exactly there. You are trying to make a method call
(getV) on a nil object, and obviously it doesn't have the (getV)
method...

Try the following

if current.getP2.nil? then....

That should work.

Cheers,

----
Enrique Comba Riepenhausen
(e-mail address removed)

I always thought Smalltalk would beat Java, I just didn't know it
would be called 'Ruby' when it did.
-- Kent Beck

 

[finer recliner]

### code starts here ###
c1 = Node.new(1,nil,nil)
c2 = Node.new(2,nil,nil)
c3 = Node.new(3,nil,nil)

c1.setP1(c2)
c1.setP2(c2)
c2.setP1(c3)

current = c1
while current.getP1 != nil
print "value = #{current.getV}, pointer1 = #{current.getP1.getV},
"
if current.getP2.getV != nil then print "pointer2 =
#{current.getP2.getV}\n" else print "null\n" end
current = current.getP1
end
[/code]

Your problem lies exactly there. You are trying to make a method call
(getV) on a nil object, and obviously it doesn't have the (getV)
method...

Try the following

if current.getP2.nil? then....

That should work.

Cheers,

----
Enrique Comba Riepenhausen
(e-mail address removed)

I always thought Smalltalk would beat Java, I just didn't know it
would be called 'Ruby' when it did.
-- Kent Beck

ooooh. now i feel foolish lol. thanks!

 

[Enrique Comba Riepenhausen]

### code starts here ###
c1 = Node.new(1,nil,nil)
c2 = Node.new(2,nil,nil)
c3 = Node.new(3,nil,nil)

c1.setP1(c2)
c1.setP2(c2)
c2.setP1(c3)

current = c1
while current.getP1 != nil
print "value = #{current.getV}, pointer1 = #
{current.getP1.getV},
"
if current.getP2.getV != nil then print "pointer2 =
#{current.getP2.getV}\n" else print "null\n" end
current = current.getP1
end
[/code]

Your problem lies exactly there. You are trying to make a method call
(getV) on a nil object, and obviously it doesn't have the (getV)
method...

Try the following

if current.getP2.nil? then....

That should work.

Cheers,

----
Enrique Comba Riepenhausen
(e-mail address removed)

I always thought Smalltalk would beat Java, I just didn't know it
would be called 'Ruby' when it did.
-- Kent Beck

ooooh. now i feel foolish lol. thanks!

Why should you? No one is perfect and sometimes when in the middle of
the brain crunching activity we oversee the simplest things...

Cheers,

----
Enrique Comba Riepenhausen
(e-mail address removed)

I always thought Smalltalk would beat Java, I just didn't know it
would be called 'Ruby' when it did.
-- Kent Beck