error variable not initialized

[Mcody2]

import java.io.*;
public class PP1 {
public static int getGoodInt(BufferedReader kbd) {
int n;
boolean ok=false;
while ( !(ok==true)) {
try {
BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(
new InputStreamReader(System.in));
String instring = br.readLine();
n = Integer.parseInt(instring);
ok=true;

}
catch (IOException e)
{
System.out.println("Input/output error");
}
catch (NumberFormatException e)
{
System.out.print(n +" is not an int -- try again:");
//error variable n might not have been initialized
}
}
return n; // same thing as the other
}
}
help
thanks

[destin]

You're variable n, is given a value within a loop, and also within a try/catch statement. There is a possibility that it never gets initialized, so when you try to return it, it will give you an error.

PS. Rather than doing !(ok == true), you can do ok == false, or ok != true, or the "best" way, !ok.

Hope this helps.

[Mcody2]

I tried taking it out of the loop but that just gives me a whole new list of errors. what sould I do to get it initialized. I know this might be a dumb question but I am new to java. just started reading a good java book introduction to problem solving and programming
thanks

here is the code that I am writing the getGoodInt method for hope if this helps

// Reads in an int n, then n ints, prints them, their max, min, ave out
// Checks for NumberFormatException and corrects...
import java.io.*;
public class PP1drvr {
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
BufferedReader kbd = new BufferedReader(
new InputStreamReader(System.in));
boolean ok;
String numStr;
// get number of entries
System.out.print("Give the number of int to read: ");
int num = PP1.getGoodInt(kbd);
// get the entries
int[] nums = new int[num];
for (int i=0; i<num; i++) {
System.out.print("Enter the "+i+"th int: ");
nums[i] = PP1.getGoodInt(kbd); }
// print the answers
int sum = nums[0];
int min = nums[0];
int max = nums[0];
for (int i=1; i<num; i++) {
sum += nums[i]; min = Math.min(min,nums[i]);
max = Math.max(max,nums[i]); }
float ave = ((float)sum)/num;
System.out.println("The numbers are");
for (int i=0; i<num; i++)
System.out.print(" "+nums[i]);
System.out.println();
System.out.println("The largest number is "+max);
System.out.println("The smallest number is "+min);
System.out.println("The average is "+ave);
}
}

[destin]

Just set it to something right in the beginning. This way it's guarenteed to have a value:

int n = 0;

[Mcody2]

thanks it works. and thanks for the help with !ok