Java arrays only allow subscripts to range between 0 and N-1 for an array of size N.
The class below aims to remove that constraint by allowing the class user to specify the valid subscripts for a one dimensional array of integers.
public class BoundedIntArray {
private int[] array;
// further state required here
public BoundedIntArray() {…}
public BoundedIntArray(int high) {…}
public BoundedIntArray(int low, int high) {…}
public int length() {…}
public int getElement(int index) {…}
public void putElement(int index, int value) {…}
public void resize(int low, int high) {…}
}
This is a question I was given in a recent exam. I'm struggling to understand quite what the problem is and what the above class is trying to accomplish.
What's wrong with only being allowed to range between 0 and N-1? Why would you want to exceed the size of the array and go beyond N or <0?
What do low and high refer to?
These are the exam questions which I forgot to post. Hopefully they might provide some context:
a). The class needs further private members to identify the upper and lower bounds of the array. Provide appropriate declarations for this state. [4 marks]
b). Supply an implementation of the three constructors for the BoundedIntArray class
[6 marks]c). Provide an implementation for each method (with appropriate exceptions) for the BoundedIntArray class.
[15 marks]d). Explain how to generalise this class so that arrays of any type can be used rather than just int’s.
[5 marks]
