Description
Why?
This assignment will ensure you have a good grasp of the fundamentals of
the Java programming language – both its limitations and advantages over
other languages such as Python.
Everything we do in this class will build on
these concepts. We will also refactor this assignment in the coming weeks
to demonstrate how an OOP approach can make this program more
extensible and easier to use.
The Assignment
If you’re not yet comfortable with Java loops, reference types, methods,
and 2D arrays – buckle up! This assignment will test your command of the
Java programming fundamentals we’ve learned in class and be our only
assignment that does not require an OOP solution.
You will write a program that can be used to draw exciting ascii art in the
terminal. You should represent a canvas as a 2-dimensional char array and
allow a user to add characters to the canvas using a standard x and y
coordinate system.
For this assignment, you will be given a starter code source file with
skeletons for the following methods:
createCanvas
This method will take in two integers for the width and height of the canvas
and return a two-dimensional char array of the specified width and height
after initializing each item in the array.
Your canvas should have a decorative border where all corners contain “+”,
all vertical edges contain ‘|’, and all horizontal edges contain ‘=’. All of the
cells in the middle of the canvas should be initialized to contain a space ‘ ‘.
For example, calling createCanvas(10, 5) would return a char array
that looks like this:
4 + = = = = = = = = +
3 | |
2 | |
1 | |
0 + = = = = = = = = +
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Note: The axis labels above come from the printCanvas method and are
included to help you visualize the size of the 2D array. They should not be
part of your array.
addCharacter
This method will take in a reference to your canvas, the character you want
to paint to the canvas, and the x and y coordinates of where you’d like to
place that character. It should modify the canvas array in memory by
changing the cell at the specified X and Y coordinates. It should not return
anything.
For example, adding the character ‘(’ to the canvas created above at
position (4, 2) and the character ‘:’ to the position (5,2) would look like this:
4 + = = = = = = = = +
3 | |
2 | ( : |
1 | |
0 + = = = = = = = = +
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
printCanvas
This is the method you will use to produce the example outputs above. It
will already be implemented in the starter code file, and you should not
modify it.
This method loops through the array from top to bottom, left to right,
printing out each cell. You will need to adjust the way you set up and index
your array to fit this output format.
main
Your standard Java main method, which should create a new canvas, add
a few characters to the canvas, and then print the finished artwork. You can
be as creative here as you want – feel free to peruse the ASCII art archive
for inspiration. You do not need to get any user input within this method.
Getting Started
Not sure where to begin? Download the starter code source file, then play
around with your printCanvas method using a char array of hard-coded
values. After you understand how that works, move on to the createCanvas
method to ensure setting up the borders works correctly. After that, you can
move on to your addCharacter method with confidence.
Submission & Grading
Your deliverable is one .java file named Drawing.java and a README
including the required information listed in the Chapman University Coding
Standards.
Assignments will be submitted through Gradescope. There will be a link to
the Gradescope submission associated with each assignment on Canvas,
and you will have unlimited attempts to submit your code before the due
date. The implementation and functionality of your code will be graded by
an auto-grader, and you will be able to see the results immediately after
submitting your code. Your assignment will also be manually graded for
adhering to style guidelines and including meaningful comments that
document your code.
Citing Outside Sources
You are allowed to use small, isolated lines of code from external sources
in your programming assignments as long as they are appropriately cited.
Any time you are including code that you did not write yourself, it must be
cited. This includes sources from StackOverflow and similar forums, current
or previous students, tutors, books, tutorials, ChatGPT, etc. You should
wrap the copied code in a comment denoting the start and end of said
code, like this:
/* BEGIN CODE FROM SOURCE: link/name of source */
. . . code you did not write . . .
/* END OF CODE FROM SOURCE: link/name of source */
