Solve this problems for me, any help will be appreaciated

[overule]

Design, write in Java, test and document a program (application) that accepts a short (i.e. less
than 20 character) string from the user and prints it out on the screen in a certain pattern. In
response to the user keeping pressing enter, the program moves it across the page to bounce off
column 20 and return. Then the program terminates. Use “*” characters to fill in the unused
columns.
For example, suppose that the user enters “dipsy”. Here is the output; each line of output is in
response to the user pressing the “enter” key.
Please enter your string: dipsy
dipsy**************
*dipsy*************
**dipsy************
***dipsy***********
...etc ...
*************dipsy*
**************dipsy
*************dipsy*
************dipsy**
...etc...
*dipsy*************
dipsy**************
Program terminated.

[mikeBarr81]

So what exactly is your problem? If you're more specific then we can help, but we're not going to write it all for you :P

[overule]

well,

I decided to use stringbuffer to approach the question but i have trouble moving the word "dipsy" to the right and back again...

Please help


thanks

[mikeBarr81]

Well to move the word dipsy to the right you add something to the beginning of the string (add a space if you don't want it to be seen). To move it back again you take something away from the beginning.

The way I would do it would be to write a method that repeatedy prints out a line of spaces followed by the word. Each time it runs it will print out an extra space. To move it back write another method that starts off with a large number of spaces then prints one less each time.

[overule]

//THIS IS A JAVA CODE
public class fill
{
  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    String input = new String();
    StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
    int startdex, finishdex;

    do {
      System.out.print("Please enter a string (no more than 20 characters): ");
      input = SavitchIn.readLine();
    }while (input.length() > 20); //Loop again if string.length is more than 20

    buffer.append(input); //append String to StringBuffer
    buffer.setLength(20); //create buffer to store 20 characters

    startdex = 0;
    finishdex = input.length() - 1;

    //int counter=buffer.length()-input.length();
    //int maincount =0;
    //for(int maincount=0 ;maincount < 9 ;maincount++) {
    
    int counter = 0;  //TRYING TO USE A LOOP TO INCREMENT THE COUNTER BUT FAILED

    do {
      for (int count1 = startdex; count1 <= counter; count1++) { //check start
        char fill = '*';
        buffer.setCharAt(count1, fill);
      }

      for (int counter2 = finishdex + counter; counter2 < buffer.length(); counter2++) { //check finish
        char fill = '*';
        buffer.setCharAt(counter2, fill);
      }

      for (int count = startdex; count <= finishdex; count++) { //fill word

        buffer.setCharAt(counter, input.charAt(count));
        counter++;
      }

      input = buffer.toString();
      System.out.println("Filled: " +input);

      counter++;
    }while(counter<9);
  }

} 

I tried using the above code, well having several problems , if you look carefully int counter = 0; when if change the value of the counter,let says to 2 , then the output will be
**dispy***************

then i tried to use a for loop to increment the counter.... but it faled

Please help out....