CODEWITHSUNDEEP
java
Permatex
Permatex

Reputation: 13

I need to validate a SSN, in a very specific way

So here is my code, I understand that this question or a similar has been posted before. The conflict I've come across is that I'm not supposed to be using "regex". I know that's a more simplistic way of writing this program but it's nothing we've gone over yet in my class. I'm NOT looking for easy answers, just tips.

public class SSNValidatorApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
        String ssn = Validator.getSSN(sc, "Enter a Social Security Number: ");

        System.out.println("You entered: " + ssn);
    }
}

So this is the first class to display output,

public static boolean isDigit(char c) {
    return Character.isDigit(c);
}

public static boolean isDash(char c) {
    return (c == '-');
}

public static String getSSN(Scanner sc, String prompt) {
    System.out.println(prompt);
    String ssn = sc.next();
    String tryAgain = "y";

    while (tryAgain.equalsIgnoreCase("y")) {
        if (ssn.length() != 11) {
            System.out.println(ssn + " is not a valid SSN");
            sc.nextLine();
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < ssn.length(); i++) {
            if (i <= 2) {
                if (!isDigit(ssn.charAt(i))) {
                    System.out.println(ssn + " is not a valid SSN");
                    sc.nextLine();
                }
                else if (i == 3) {
                    if (!isDash(ssn.charAt(i))) {
                        System.out.println(ssn + " is not a valid SSN");
                        sc.nextLine();
                    }
                }
                else if (i == 6) {
                    if (!isDash(ssn.charAt(i))) {
                        System.out.println(ssn + " is not a valid SSN");
                        sc.nextLine();
                    }

                }
                else if (i > 6) {
                    if (!isDigit(ssn.charAt(i))) {
                        System.out.println(ssn + " is not a valid SSN");
                        sc.nextLine();
                    } 
                }
            }
        }

        tryAgain = Validator.getString(sc, "Would you like to re-enter your SSN? (y/n): ");
        System.out.println();
    }

    return ssn;
}

The issue in my code is coming from the end, where it should ask the user "Would you like to re-enter your SSN? where they answer y or n the only issue is that when they answer, it continues to say ""DDD-DD-DDDD" is not a valid SSN". Is this an issue of the mass of if/else if/for/while statements I have?

Thanks.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 270

Answers (2)

Andy Turner
Andy Turner

Reputation: 140494

The for loop is quite unnecessary and makes it all a lot more verbose. If you really can't use a regex, just hard-code the conditions on each character:

if (ssn.length() != 11
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(0))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(1))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(2))
    || !isDash(ssn.charAt(3))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(4))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(5))
    || !isDash(ssn.charAt(6))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(7))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(8))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(9))
    || !isDigit(ssn.charAt(10))) {
  System.out.println( ssn + " is not a valid SSN");
  sc.nextLine();
}

Upvotes: 0

Thomas
Thomas

Reputation: 88737

You should query the user for the ssn at the start of the loop, i.e. put String ssn = sc.next(); right at the top of the while-block.

Currently you are querying the user once and after the while block you reuse the value of ssn instead of asking for a new one before validation.

Upvotes: 2

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