CSC 172
Homework assignment 2

Assigned 9 Feb, 1999
Due 25 Feb, 1999

More practice with loops

Write a Java Application named HW2 (main class HW2, file HW2.java, etc. etc.  Consistent naming just makes it easier for me to grade the things.)
The program is to prompt the user to type in a sequence of names, each of which consists of a first and a last name.  There should be a clear, easy way for the user to indicate when the list of names is finished, e.g. just hitting RETURN when asked for a first name.  The program will then print out various information about the list of names:

• the shortest first name
• the longest first name
• the average length of a first name
• how many of the first names were longer than the average
• the full names that would appear first and last in alphabetical order (alphabetize by last names, and if two people have the same last name, use their first name to break the tie).

Hints:

• For those of you who weren't in CSC 171 last semester, I suggest reading chapters 3 and 4 of the Arnow & Weiss textbook and reading HW3 from last semester. That assignment discusses not only Java I/O (which is significantly different from Pascal, C, or C++ I/O), but also some of the mechanics of using CodeWarrior. Fortunately, for the current assignment you don't need to go through all the hassle of creating InputStreams, BufferedReaders, etc. because you can use the InteractiveIO class from chapter 4 to hide all that; see the next hint.
• Regardless of whether you were in CSC 171 last semester, I encourage you to use the InteractiveIO class from chapter 4 of the textbook (which can be downloaded from the class Web page).  You may want to modify it (or better, write a subclass of InteractiveIO and put the modifications in it).
• You'll probably want to define a Name class as well, allowing you to create Names, read them using an InteractiveIO object, convert them to Strings for easy output, retrieve their first and last names, and compare two of them in alphabetical order (as described above, paying attention to the last name and only turning to the first name if two last names are identical).
• You might even want to define a NameList class (not required, but might make HW3 easier), so (for example) the main program doesn't even need to know whether you're using Vectors to store the list. Use the class design recipe in the textbook to decide what methods should be in this class.
• Try to make your program as friendly and "idiot-proof" as possible.
• For extra credit, come up with some more interesting things to say about the list of names, and implement them.
• For serious extra credit, find the median name in the list (i.e. the name that would be exactly halfway down the list if the list were sorted alphabetically; half of the names come before it, and half after it. If there are an even number of names, you may choose either the one just before or the one just after the halfway point.)

Examples:

Please type in a list of names.  When you're done, just hit RETURN when asked for another name.

First name?
No first name.  Do you want to enter a last name?no
Thank you.  Here's some information about that list of names.
There were no names in the list.

Please type in a list of names.  When you're done, just hit RETURN when asked for another name.
First name?Stephen
Last name?Bloch
First name?
No first name.  Do you want to enter a last name?no
Thank you.  Here's some information about that list of names.
The shortest first name was Stephen.
The longest first name was Stephen.
The average length of a first name was 7.0, and no first names were longer than that.
The earliest name in alphabetical order was Stephen Bloch.
The last name in alphabetical order was Stephen Bloch.

Please type in a list of names.  When you're done, just hit RETURN when asked for another name.
First name?Joe
Last name?Schmoe
First name?Stephen
Last name?Bloch
First name?Annie
Last name?Schmoe
First name?Edward
Last name?Beeblebrox
First name?
No first name.  Do you want to enter a last name?no
Thank you.  Here's some information about that list of names.
The shortest first name was Joe.
The longest first name was Stephen.
The average length of a first name was 5.25, and 2 first names were
longer than that.
The earliest name in alphabetical order was Edward Beeblebrox.
The last name in alphabetical order was Joe Schmoe.

Please type in a list of names.  When you're done, just hit
RETURN when asked for another name.
First name?Billy
Last name?Bob
First name?
No first name.  Do you want to enter a last name?yes
Last name?Somebodywithnofirstname
First name?Jim
Last name?Bob
First name?Nolastname
Last name?
No last name.  Do you want to use this name anyway?yes
First name?
No first name.  Do you want to enter a last name?no
Thank you.  Here's some information about that list of names.
The shortest first name was .
The longest first name was Nolastname.
The average length of a first name was 4.5, and 2 first names were
longer than that.
The earliest name in alphabetical order was Nolastname .
The last name in alphabetical order was  Somebodywithnofirstname.