Java method to check variable (counter) max length

[javaalien]

Kindly please anyone who knows is the any method to know
what is the limit of length of a counter?
Depsite from initiliazed variable's types (either int, byte, long etc)
is there any way for me to check my variable (counter)'s max lenght?
Please share the info with me...
Thank you in advance.

[r035198x]

Kindly please anyone who knows is the any method to know
what is the limit of length of a counter?
Depsite from initiliazed variable's types (either int, byte, long etc)
is there any way for me to check my variable (counter)'s max lenght?
Please share the info with me...
Thank you in advance.

What type is your counter ?

[javaalien]

What type is your counter ?

Integer type.
Is there any method that I could check it despite initialize int type the max would be 32 lenght?

[r035198x]

Integer type.
Is there any method that I could check it despite initialize int type the max would be 32 lenght?

I'm not sure I got you right but maximum value an int can take is (2^31) - 1.
You can get this using Integer.MAX_VALUE

[javaalien]

I'm not sure I got you right but maximum value an int can take is (2^31) - 1.
You can get this using Integer.MAX_VALUE

Thank you ...
You mean this syntax?

public static final int   MAX_VALUE = 0x7fffffff;
 

How I am going to initialize my counter? besides the standard initialize :

int counter; 

One more thing, what would happen when my counter exceeds the max value?
Is there any prompt error? It just that I want to make sure my counter returns correct (without exceeding) value.

[r035198x]

Thank you ...
You mean this syntax?

public static final int MAX_VALUE = 0x7fffffff;
 

How I am going to initialize my counter? besides the standard initialize :

int counter; 

One more thing, what would happen when my counter exceeds the max value?
Is there any prompt error? It just that I want to make sure my counter returns correct (without exceeding) value.

Try it and see what happens here:

 
public class WhatHappens {
 public static void main(String ... args) {
  int value = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
  value = value + 1;
  System.out.println(value);
 }
} 
 

[JosAH]

Thank you ...
You mean this syntax?

public static final int   MAX_VALUE = 0x7fffffff;
 

How I am going to initialize my counter? besides the standard initialize :

int counter; 

One more thing, what would happen when my counter exceeds the max value?
Is there any prompt error? It just that I want to make sure my counter returns correct (without exceeding) value.

You don't have to specify that number yourself. It's already done for you. Read
the API documentation for the Integer class. While your at it there's also a Long,
Short, Character, Byte etc. classes. They all implement public static final values
indicating the maximum and minimum values their corresponding primitives can
hold. When you add one to the maximum value or subtract one from the minimum
value, the value just 'wraps around' just like those old mechanical cash registers
did in the middle of the previous century ;-)

kind regards,

Jos

[javaalien]

Try it and see what happens here:

 
public class WhatHappens {
 public static void main(String ... args) {
  int value = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
  value = value + 1;
  System.out.println(value);
 }
} 
 

Yeah, it returns -2^31. By looking at the output (negative integers) so we know that it exceeds limit.
What happen when the counter keeps counting (probably big program and MANY iterations) until it returns positive integer? And we just take the output as an answer, Is that possible? How to know that our counter type is catered to store any output num?

[javaalien]

[quote=JosAH]You don't have to specify that number yourself. It's already done for you. Read
the API documentation for the Integer class. While your at it there's also a Long,
Short, Character, Byte etc. classes. They all implement public static final values
indicating the maximum and minimum values their corresponding primitives can
hold. When you add one to the maximum value or subtract one from the minimum
value, the value just 'wraps around' just like those old mechanical cash registers
did in the middle of the previous century ;-)

kind regards,

yeah you're right. this code returns positive int 2147483643.
It's like -2 -2 + 2147483647

 int value = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
  value = value + 2147483647 + 2147483647 + 2147483647 + 2147483647;

System.out.println(value);

[r035198x]

Yeah, it returns -2^31. By looking at the output (negative integers) so we know that it exceeds limit.
What happen when the counter keeps counting (probably big program and MANY iterations) until it returns positive integer? And we just take the output as an answer, Is that possible? How to know that our counter type is catered to store any output num?

If you are so worred about exceeding the maximum int size, why not use bigger types like long (max value (2^63) - 1 ) or even java.math.BigInteger

[javaalien]

If you are so worred about exceeding the maximum int size, why not use bigger types like long (max value (2^63) - 1 ) or even java.math.BigInteger

Yeah, you're right..
Better use BigInteger type - but then how to initiliaze it, same as standard initialization for the other types? kindly please share some tips..thank you

[JosAH]

Yeah, you're right..
Better use BigInteger type - but then how to initiliaze it, same as standard initialization for the other types? kindly please share some tips..thank you

Can you please elaborate a bit about that humongous iteration you're planning
to implement? Note that arrays, ArrayLists and LinkedLists just take 2^31-1
elements maximum? BigIntegers are generally used for integer number
theoretical applications (you can't even use them for an index value).

kind regards,

Jos

[javaalien]

Can you please elaborate a bit about that humongous iteration you're planning
to implement? Note that arrays, ArrayLists and LinkedLists just take 2^31-1
elements maximum? BigIntegers are generally used for integer number
theoretical applications (you can't even use them for an index value).

kind regards,

Jos

Actually that's the answer that I am looking for..I do need to know if a very large application with many iterations (I do not know how big it is but it just a caution)
what counter type that I need to initialize?
something like to check counter++ will return an int value...
So from your experience, how many iteration of any large application (the longest) could be? care to explain for me please..thank you.

[JosAH]

Actually that's the answer that I am looking for..I do need to know if a very large application with many iterations (I do not know how big it is but it just a caution)
what counter type that I need to initialize?
something like to check counter++ will return an int value...
So from your experience, how many iteration of any large application (the longest) could be? care to explain for me please..thank you.

I'd stick with simple ints if I were you. If that won't work out you can't keep all
the objects in memory anyway and you'd need a database of some sort then.
Follow the "KISS" principle: Keep It Simple St*pid ;-) Don't forget 2^31-1 is
a whole lot.

kind regards,

Jos

[javaalien]

Need an assistance on how to put this kind of alert in my program...
Lat's say I assign a counter which suppose to count how many word 'A' in a text file. So how am I supposed to do to alert me when it's already achieve max limit? I can't wait until the execution to finish and returns -ve value or false value.
So when it reach int limit (2^31-1), it suppose stop the execution (or at least pop up an alert or etc). Is this possible to do? Thank you in advance.

note: Stick to Integer type.

[JosAH]

Need an assistance on how to put this kind of alert in my program...
Lat's say I assign a counter which suppose to count how many word 'A' in a text file. So how am I supposed to do to alert me when it's already achieve max limit? I can't wait until the execution to finish and returns -ve value or false value.
So when it reach int limit (2^31-1), it suppose stop the execution (or at least pop up an alert or etc). Is this possible to do? Thank you in advance.

note: Stick to Integer type.

Use a long counter then; if a certain word occurs more than n times; the word
has to present in the text for at least 2^63-1 times. Note that if everybody on the
world owns more than a couple of thousand books than for every book (~ 200 pages)
the counter won't overflow if it occurred more than tens of times on every page
on every book.

kind regards,

Jos

[r035198x]

Need an assistance on how to put this kind of alert in my program...
Lat's say I assign a counter which suppose to count how many word 'A' in a text file. So how am I supposed to do to alert me when it's already achieve max limit? I can't wait until the execution to finish and returns -ve value or false value.
So when it reach int limit (2^31-1), it suppose stop the execution (or at least pop up an alert or etc). Is this possible to do? Thank you in advance.

note: Stick to Integer type.

Have a look at the JOPtionPane class .

[javaalien]

Use a long counter then; if a certain word occurs more than n times; the word
has to present in the text for at least 2^63-1 times. Note that if everybody on the
world owns more than a couple of thousand books than for every book (~ 200 pages)
the counter won't overflow if it occurred more than tens of times on every page
on every book.

kind regards,

Jos

Thank you.
If my rewrite my question to long type, how am I going to solve it then?
It just that I can't wait for it to keep counting after exceed limit , better I stop the execution or give some kind of alert.

[JosAH]

Thank you.
If my rewrite my question to long type, how am I going to solve it then?
It just that I can't wait for it to keep counting after exceed limit , better I stop the execution or give some kind of alert.

You do realize that with a maximum numer as big as 2^63-1 you will be able to
count every thousands of a millimetre for a journey starting at the Sun and
ending at Pluto do you?

kind regards,

Jos

[javaalien]

You do realize that with a maximum numer as big as 2^63-1 you will be able to
count every thousands of a millimetre for a journey starting at the Sun and
ending at Pluto do you?

kind regards,

Jos

Ok Jos, It's a caution matter to me, I do need to put something that if the thing is going to happen..not more than that.

[JosAH]

Ok Jos, It's a caution matter to me, I do need to put something that if the thing is going to happen..not more than that.

Be realistic and do your maths; files that don't exist while they're supposed to;
sockets that won't connect while the server should be up and running; headless
machines running your application; some loonie user switching your computer
off in the middle of some sort of transaction; spilling cola all over your keyboard
while some critical code is running; power failures while new batteries fail too
and a UPS burn out at the same time; half of your RAM memory failing because
of a bad contact caused by one single pin; your mother in law burning the one
and only source code listing with her cigar; sending all backup disks into orbit
(including your workdisk); eclipse wiping out all your sources because of a cvs
failure; a nuclear bomb on your office; EMP into your network connection cable;
the sky falling down of everybody's head.

*Everything* is more likely to make your application fail than an overflow in your
long counter. Don't even implement a JOptionPane message for that.

kind regards,

Jos

[r035198x]

You do realize that with a maximum numer as big as 2^63-1 you will be able to
count every thousands of a millimetre for a journey starting at the Sun and
ending at Pluto do you?

kind regards,

Jos

If you don't mind to please show your working and assumed distances.

[JosAH]

If you don't mind to please show your working and assumed distances.

Sure, I'd be glad to:

|Sun, Pluto| ~= 6e12 metres

6e12/(2^63) ~= 6.5e-7 metres ~= 6.5e-4 millimetres < 1/1000 millimetres.

kind regards,

Jos

[r035198x]

Be realistic and do your maths; files that don't exist while they're supposed to;
sockets that won't connect while the server should be up and running; headless
machines running your application; some loonie user switching your computer
off in the middle of some sort of transaction; spilling cola all over your keyboard
while some critical code is running; power failures while new batteries fail too
and a UPS burn out at the same time; half of your RAM memory failing because
of a bad contact caused by one single pin; your mother in law burning the one
and only source code listing with her cigar; sending all backup disks into orbit
(including your workdisk); eclipse wiping out all your sources because of a cvs
failure; a nuclear bomb on your office; EMP into your network connection cable;
the sky falling down of everybody's head.

*Everything* is more likely to make your application fail than an overflow in your
long counter. Don't even implement a JOptionPane message for that.

kind regards,

Jos

Jos. Please step away from the keyboard slowly and go to bed.

@OP: Jos is right of course. It's very good of you to be thinking of overflows in your programs and all that but (2^63) - 1 is very big. Try to write it down and see.

[JosAH]

Jos. Please step away from the keyboard slowly and go to bed.

I still have to have dinner and a bit of leisure time until I go to bed!

kind regards,

Jos ;-)

[blazedaces]

Sure, I'd be glad to:

|Sun, Pluto| ~= 6e12 metres

6e12/(2^63) ~= 6.5e-7 metres ~= 6.5e-4 millimetres < 1/1000 millimetres.

kind regards,

Jos

r035198x, I'm not trying to be insulting, I just think this was funny as ...

YOU HAVE BEEN
PWNED!!!!!!!!!

:P

-blazed

P.S. I still can not understand why you still have a problem. You keep asking how to spit out a warning if your counter gets too high. If you really want to do it, just do it, it's just an if-statement every time (waste of processing speed, but very very very little depending on how often you do it) asking if the counter == integer.maxvalue or whatever they wrote up top.

[r035198x]

...(waste of processing speed, but very very very little depending on how often you do it) asking if the counter == integer.maxvalue or whatever they wrote up top.

and the work done / the functionality gained is disappointing considering that the condition is most likely never going to be satisfied.

[blazedaces]

and the work done / the functionality gained is disappointing considering that the condition is most likely never going to be satisfied.

Yes, I concur, but he kept insisting, so I wanted to point out the obvious choice of doing whatever you want regardless of the advice from people with more knowledge and experience (not talking about myself here).

-blazed

[javaalien]

Thank you very much for all the advice.
Of course I take note all of your precious advice to me...
I am here to consult from you guys that must be very experienced and already be there before me....So by asking some sort of silly questions (to you guys but not for me, because I really don't know) so I will get some feedback, am I doing right or maybe that's not even possible..that's it.
I am learning and sorry for making any trouble here...thank you

[blazedaces]

Thank you very much for all the advice.
Of course I take note all of your precious advice to me...
I am here to consult from you guys that must be very experienced and already be there before me....So by asking some sort of silly questions (to you guys but not for me, because I really don't know) so I will get some feedback, am I doing right or maybe that's not even possible..that's it.
I am learning and sorry for making any trouble here...thank you

I apologize, I am often too harsh. Please don't ever hesitate to ask whatever question you would like.

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

Good luck in your future endeavors,

-blazed