Local variable issue

Question

I am constructing a employee and project management application which i am not able to get to run because of 1 error left. The error is on line 147 (which is in case 3 of my switch statement "string role = "sample role") i have a local variable role error can someone please help me fix this. I am quite new to coding so apologies if this is a simple mistake

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Scanner;

class Employee {
    private static int employeeIDCounter = 1;
    private int employeeID;
    private String firstName;
    private String lastName;
    private String department;
    private String role;

    public Employee(String firstName, String lastName, String department, String role) {
        this.employeeID = employeeIDCounter++;
        this.firstName = firstName;
        this.lastName = lastName;
        this.department = department;
        this.role = role;
    }

    // Getters for Employee properties
    public int getEmployeeID() {
        return employeeID;
    }

    public String getFullName() {
        return firstName + " " + lastName;
    }

    public String getRole() {
        return role;
    }

    public String getDepartment() {
        return department;
    }
}

class Project {
    private static int projectIDCounter = 1;
    private int projectID;
    private String projectName;
    private String projectDescription;
    private String startDate;
    private String endDate;
    private Map<Employee, String> assignedTeam;

    public Project(String projectName, String projectDescription, String startDate, String endDate) {
        this.projectID = projectIDCounter++;
        this.projectName = projectName;
        this.projectDescription = projectDescription;
        this.startDate = startDate;
        this.endDate = endDate;
        this.assignedTeam = new HashMap<>();
    }

    // Getters for Project properties
    public int getProjectID() {
        return projectID;
    }

    public String getProjectName() {
        return projectName;
    }

    public String getProjectDescription() {
        return projectDescription;
    }

    public String getStartDate() {
        return startDate;
    }

    public String getEndDate() {
        return endDate;
    }

    public Map<Employee, String> getAssignedTeam() {
        return assignedTeam;
    }

    public void assignEmployee(Employee employee, String role) {
        assignedTeam.put(employee, role);
    }
}

public class ProjectEmployeeManagement {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        List<Employee> employees = new ArrayList<>();
        List<Project> projects = new ArrayList<>();
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

        while (true) {
            System.out.println("Choose operation:");
            System.out.println("1. Add Project");
            System.out.println("2. Add Employee");
            System.out.println("3. Assign Employee to Project");
            System.out.println("4. Display Projects and Team Members");
            System.out.println("5. Search Employees for Project");
            System.out.println("6. Search Projects for Employee");
            System.out.println("7. Update Project or Employee");
            System.out.println("8. Delete Project");
            System.out.println("9. Exit");
            int choice = scanner.nextInt();
            scanner.nextLine(); // Consume the newline character

            switch (choice) {
                case 1:
                    // Add Project
                    System.out.println("Enter project details:");
                    System.out.print("Project Name:");
                    String projectName = scanner.nextLine();
                    System.out.print("project Description: ");
                    String projectDescription = scanner.nextLine();
                    System.out.print("Start Date: ");
                    String startDate = scanner.nextLine ();
                    System.out.print(" End Date: ");
                    String endDate = scanner.nextLine();
                    Project newProject = new Project(projectName, projectDescription, startDate, endDate);
                    projects.add(newProject);
                    break;

                case 2:
                    // Add Employee
                    System.out.println("Enter employee details:");
                    System.out.print("First Name: ");
                    String firstName = scanner.nextLine();
                    System.out.print("Last Name: ");
                    String lastName = scanner.nextLine();
                    System.out.print("Department: ");
                    String department = scanner.nextLine();
                    System.out.print("Role: ");
                    String role = scanner.nextLine();
                    Employee newEmployee = new Employee(firstName, lastName, department, role);
                    employees.add(newEmployee);
                    break;

                case 3:
                    // Assign Employee to Project
                    System.out.println("Enter Project ID: ");
                    int projectID = scanner.nextInt();
                    System.out.println("Enter Employee ID: ");
                    int employeeID = scanner.nextInt();
                    scanner.nextLine();
                    String role = "Sample Role"; // Replace with actual role input
                    Project projectToAssign = null;
                    Employee employeeToAssign = null;

                    // Find the project and employee objects
                    for (Project project : projects) {
                        if (project.getProjectID() == projectID) {
                            projectToAssign = project;
                            break;
                        }
                    }
                    for (Employee employee : employees) {
                        if (employee.getEmployeeID() == employeeID) {
                            employeeToAssign = employee;
                            break;
                        }
                    }

                    // Assign the employee to the project with the specified role
                    if (projectToAssign != null && employeeToAssign != null) {
                    projectToAssign.assignEmployee(employeeToAssign, role);
                    } else {
                        System.out.println("Project or Employee not found.");
                    }
                    break;

                case 4:
                    // Display Projects and Team Members
                    for (Project project : projects) {
                        System.out.println("Project ID: " + project.getProjectID());
                        System.out.println("Project Name: " + project.getProjectName());
                        System.out.println("Project Description: " + project.getProjectDescription());
                        System.out.println("Start Date: " + project.getStartDate());
                        System.out.println("End Date: " + project.getEndDate());
                        System.out.println("Assigned Team Members:");
                        for (Map.Entry<Employee, String> entry : project.getAssignedTeam().entrySet()) {
                            System.out.println("Employee ID: " + entry.getKey().getEmployeeID());
                            System.out.println("Employee Name: " + entry.getKey().getFullName());
                            System.out.println("Role: " + entry.getValue());
                        }
                    }
                    break;

                case 5:
                    // Search Employees for Project
                    System.out.println("Enter Project ID: ");
                    int searchProjectID = scanner.nextInt();
                    Project searchProject = null;

                    // Find the project object
                    for (Project project : projects) {
                        if (project.getProjectID() == searchProjectID) {
                            searchProject = project;
                            break;
                        }
                    }

                    if (searchProject != null) {
                        System.out.println("Assigned Team Members for Project " + searchProjectID + ":");
                        for (Map.Entry<Employee, String> entry : searchProject.getAssignedTeam().entrySet()) {
                            System.out.println("Employee ID: " + entry.getKey().getEmployeeID());
                            System.out.println("Employee Name: " + entry.getKey().getFullName());
                            System.out.println("Role: " + entry.getValue());
                        }
                    } else {
                        System.out.println("Project not found.");
                    }
                    break;

                case 6:
                    // Search Projects for Employee
                    System.out.println("Enter Employee ID: ");
                    int searchEmployeeID = scanner.nextInt();
                    Employee searchEmployee = null;

                    // Find the employee object
                    for (Employee employee : employees) {
                        if (employee.getEmployeeID() == searchEmployeeID) {
                            searchEmployee = employee;
                            break;
                        }
                    }

                    if (searchEmployee != null) {
                        System.out.println("Projects assigned to Employee " + searchEmployeeID + ":");
                        for (Project project : projects) {
                            for (Map.Entry<Employee, String> entry : project.getAssignedTeam().entrySet()) {
                                if (entry.getKey().getEmployeeID() == searchEmployeeID) {
                                    System.out.println("Project ID: " + project.getProjectID());
                                    System.out.println("Project Name: " + project.getProjectName());
                                    System.out.println("Role: " + entry.getValue());
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    } else {
                        System.out.println("Employee not found.");
                    }
                    break;

                case 7:
                  // Update Project or Employee
                  System.out.println("Enter 'P' to update a Project or 'E' to update an Employee: ");
                  String updateChoice = scanner.nextLine();
                  if (updateChoice.equalsIgnoreCase("P")) {
                    // Update Project
                    System.out.println("Enter Project ID to update: ");
                    int projectIDToUpdate = scanner.nextInt();
                    Project projectToUpdate = null;
                    
                    // Find the project object
                    for (Project project : projects) {
                        if (project.getProjectID() == projectIDToUpdate) {
                            projectToUpdate = project;
                            break;
                        }
                    }
                    
                    if (projectToUpdate != null) {
                    // Here you can implement the logic to update project details
                    // You can ask for new project details (name, description, dates, etc.)
                    System.out.println("Project updated successfully.");
                } else {
                    System.out.println("Project not found.");
                }
            } else if (updateChoice.equalsIgnoreCase("E")) {
                    // Update Employee
                    System.out.println("Enter Employee ID to update: ");
                    int employeeIDToUpdate = scanner.nextInt();
                    Employee employeeToUpdate = null;

                    // Find the employee object
                    for (Employee employee : employees) {
                        if (employee.getEmployeeID() == employeeIDToUpdate) {
                            employeeToUpdate = employee;
                            break;
                        }
                    }

                    if (employeeToUpdate != null) {
                        // Here you can implement the logic to update employee details
                        // You can ask for new employee details (first name, last name, department, role, etc.)
                        System.out.println("Employee updated successfully.");
                    } else {
                        System.out.println("Employee not found.");
                    }
                } else {
                    System.out.println("Invalid choice.");
                }
                break;
                   

                case 8:
                // Delete Project
                System.out.println("Enter Project ID to delete: ");
                int projectIDToDelete = scanner.nextInt();
                Project projectToDelete = null;
                
                // Find the project object
                for (Project project : projects) {
                    if (project.getProjectID() == projectIDToDelete) {
                        projectToDelete = project;
                        break;
                    }
                }

                if (projectToDelete != null) {
                    projects.remove(projectToDelete);
                    System.out.println("Project deleted successfully.");
                } else {
                    System.out.println("Project not found.");
                }
                break;
                    

                case 9:
                 // Exit the application
                 System.out.println("Exiting the application.");
                 System.exit(0);
                 break;

                default:
                    System.out.println("Invalid choice. Please choose a valid operation.");
            }
        }
    }
}

Answer 1

In java, local variables are 'scoped' to the nearest pair of braces when looking to its immediate surroundings. The variable exists throughout all of it (even if you declare it halfway down a block), and doesn't exist outside of it.

In addition, you are not allowed to declare the same variable more than once. That is simply an error. This:

String x = "foo";
String x = "bar";

doesn't compile (the first line decrees 'I hereby notify you that there shall exist a variable named x', and the second line makes the same decree, that's the problem. Just x = "bar"; is fine, it's the String x = "bar"; that's the problem).

That rule is literally how it works, and that means your basic switch blocks are really bizarre. All of it is within a single pair of braces so any variable you declare anywhere inside a switch counts for the whole switch block.

Your case, therefore, boils down to the above case: In a single block, you wrote:

String role = scanner.nextLine();
... some other stuff
String role = scanner.nextLine();

Solutions

One simple-ish solution is to just add braces to each case. Instead of:

switch (foo) {
  case 1:
    lineA();
    lineB();
    break;
  case 2:
    lineC();
    lineD();
    break;
}

you write:

switch (foo) {
  case 1: {
    lineA();
    lineB();
    break;
  }
  case 2: {
    lineC();
    lineD();
    break;
  }
}

Now you no longer need to worry about name collisions between your case blocks.

Alternatively, you can just declare String role; once before the switch block, and then never declare it again (just write role = scanner.nextLine();). I don't recommend this action because you're now messing up the outer scope with an unnecessary variable.

A third solution is to ensure each variable you declare in an entire switch block is unique. I don't recommend this action because you'll inevitably name your variables role0, role1, and that rather quickly and obviously becomes a needless maintenance headache.

Answer 2

You define var role in case2( line 135)

 String role = scanner.nextLine();

So you can not define it in other case. Best way ( that I think). You should define var role outside of switch block and use it inside case block