Programming Project 3

This part of the programming project may be done individually or in groups of two. Keep in mind that you may not work with the same person on more than two of the programming projects. If you work with a teammate, hand in one copy of your code with both names on it. It is okay to get help from the TAs and/or the instructor if you get stuck, but you should try to do it on your own first.

The purpose of this assignment is to enhance the Histogram program from the Histogram Lab. Remember to test your program after every step.

• Replace the seven variables representing the final location counters with a single collection of seven values. You will need to initialize the counters to 0, just as you did with the seven variables.

• Replace your series of if/else-if/else statements that increment the seven variables with a single statement that increments the appropriate element in the collection. To do this, you will need to develop an arithmetic expression that, given the final location of the object, will give you the correct index into the collection. For example,

  Final Location		Index
  -6		0
  -4		1
  ...		...
  0		3
  ...		...

• Replace the seven statements to plot the final locations with a single statement in a loop.

• Add labels to the columns and rows of the histogram by placing a text cell in the appropriate location. Label the columns at consistent intervals (for example, every ten blocks) and label each row with the final location represented by that row (-6, -4, and so forth).

• Add space between your rows so that the histogram is easier to read.

• One of the classes provided with the Grid Package (the package that contains SimpleGrid, TextCell, and ColorBlock) is a ValidatedInputReader class that will allow you to prompt the user for the number of iterations to use for the simulation. One of the methods in this class is a static getInteger method that takes five parameters: the initial prompt string, the minimum number that is valid, the maximum number that is valid, a suggested value, and the clarification prompt. Because the method is static, it is tied to the class rather than to a specific object or instance of the class. In other words, you can call this method without constructing an instance of the class, as follows:
  int numIterations = ValidatedInputReader.getInteger("prompt", min_val, max_val, suggested_val, "prompt2");

  You may use the constant Integer.MAX_VALUE to represent the largest number that is acceptable. (You can read the full class documentation for the ValidatedInputReader class here.)

  Once you have prompted the user for the number of iterations, change your program so that it uses this number to control the number of iterations that the simulation runs. Then remove the NUM_ITERATION constant. Test it with different numbers of iterations, including zero and one or more negative numbers.

• Be sure that you have updated the class documentation at the top of the file and that your program conforms to the the documentation and style standards we have been using in this class. The class documentation comments should describe the purpose and behavior of your main class from a user's perspective. Focus on what the program does, rather than how it does it. Include your name and the date as well as the names of anyone from whom you received help.
• When you are done, rename your project folder to YourName_Hist_PP, zip it, and submit it to Kit as a single zip file.