This is an assignment that we use strings in Java to analyze a phone number. The error I am having is anything below tester=invalidCharacters(c); does not compile because every line past tester=invalidCharacters(c); is looking for a symbol or the class. In get invalidResults, all I am trying to do is evaluate a given string for non-alphabetical characters such as *,(,^,&,%,@,#,), and so on. What to answer: Why is it producing an error, what will work, and is there an easier method WITHOUT using regex. Here is the link to the assignment: http://cis.csuohio.edu/~hwang/teaching/cis260/assignments/assignment9.html public class PhoneNumber { private int areacode; private int number; private int ext; /////Constructors///// //Third Constructor (given one string arg) "xxx-xxxxxxx" where first three are numbers and the remaining (7) are numbers or letters public PhoneNumber(String newNumber){ //Note: Set default ext to 0 ext=0; ////Declare Temporary Storage and other variables//// //for the first three numbers String areaCodeString; //for the remaining seven characters String newNumberString; //For use in testing the second half of the string boolean containsLetters; boolean containsInvalid; /////Separate the two parts of string///// //Get the area code part of the string areaCodeString=newNumber.substring(0,2); //Convert the string and set it to the area code areacode=Integer.parseInt(areaCodeString); //Skip the "-" and Get the remaining part of the string newNumberString=newNumber.substring(4); //Create an array of characters from newNumberString to reuse in later methods for int length=newNumberString.length(); char [] myCharacters= new char [length]; int i; for (i=0;i<length;i++){ myCharacters [i]=newNumberString.charAt(i); } //Test if newNumberString contains letters & converting them into numbers String reNewNumber=""; //Test for invalid characters containsInvalid=getInvalidResults(newNumberString,length); if (containsInvalid==false){ containsLetters=getCharResults(newNumberString,length); if (containsLetters==true){ for (i=0;i<length;i++){ myCharacters [i]=(char)convertLetNum((myCharacters [i])); reNewNumber=reNewNumber+myCharacters[i]; } } } if (containsInvalid==false){ number=Integer.parseInt(reNewNumber); } else{ System.out.println("Error!"+"\t"+newNumber+" contains illegal characters. This number will be ignored and skipped."); } } //////Primary Methods/Behaviors/////// //Compare this phone number with the one passed by the caller public boolean equals(PhoneNumber pn){ boolean equal; String concat=(areacode+"-"+number); String pN=pn.toString(); if (concat==pN){ equal=true; } else{ equal=false; } return equal; } //Convert the stored number to a certain string depending on extension public String toString(){ String returned; if(ext==0){ returned=(areacode+"-"+number); } else{ returned=(areacode+"-"+number+" ext "+ext); } return returned; } //////Secondary Methods/////// //Method for testing if the second part of the string contains any letters public static boolean getCharResults(String newNumString,int getLength){ //Recreate a character array int i; char [] myCharacters= new char [getLength]; for (i=0;i<getLength;i++){ myCharacters [i]=newNumString.charAt(i); } boolean doesContainLetter=false; int j; for (j=0;j<getLength;j++){ if ((Character.isDigit(myCharacters[j])==true)){ doesContainLetter=false; } else{ doesContainLetter=true; return doesContainLetter; } } return doesContainLetter; } //Method for testing if the second part of the string contains any letters public static boolean getInvalidResults(String newNumString,int getLength){ boolean doesContainInvalid=false; int i; char c; boolean tester; char [] invalidCharacters= new char [getLength]; for (i=0;i<getLength;i++){ invalidCharacters [i]=newNumString.charAt(i); c=invalidCharacters [i]; tester=invalidCharacters(c); if(tester==true)){ doesContainInvalid=false; } else{ doesContainInvalid=true; return doesContainInvalid; } } return doesContainInvalid; } //Method for evaluating string for invalid characters public boolean invalidCharacters(char letter){ boolean returnNum=false; switch (letter){ case 'A': return returnNum; case 'B': return returnNum; case 'C': return returnNum; case 'D': return returnNum; case 'E': return returnNum; case 'F': return returnNum; case 'G': return returnNum; case 'H': return returnNum; case 'I': return returnNum; case 'J': return returnNum; case 'K': return returnNum; case 'L': return returnNum; case 'M': return returnNum; case 'N': return returnNum; case 'O': return returnNum; case 'P': return returnNum; case 'Q': return returnNum; case 'R': return returnNum; case 'S': return returnNum; case 'T': return returnNum; case 'U': return returnNum; case 'V': return returnNum; case 'W': return returnNum; case 'X': return returnNum; case 'Y': return returnNum; case 'Z': return returnNum; default: return true; } } //Method for converting letters to numbers public int convertLetNum(char letter){ int returnNum; switch (letter){ case 'A': returnNum=2;return returnNum; case 'B': returnNum=2;return returnNum; case 'C': returnNum=2;return returnNum; case 'D': returnNum=3;return returnNum; case 'E': returnNum=3;return returnNum; case 'F': returnNum=3;return returnNum; case 'G': returnNum=4;return returnNum; case 'H': returnNum=4;return returnNum; case 'I': returnNum=4;return returnNum; case 'J': returnNum=5;return returnNum; case 'K': returnNum=5;return returnNum; case 'L': returnNum=5;return returnNum; case 'M': returnNum=6;return returnNum; case 'N': returnNum=6;return returnNum; case 'O': returnNum=6;return returnNum; case 'P': returnNum=7;return returnNum; case 'Q': returnNum=7;return returnNum; case 'R': returnNum=7;return returnNum; case 'S': returnNum=7;return returnNum; case 'T': returnNum=8;return returnNum; case 'U': returnNum=8;return returnNum; case 'V': returnNum=8;return returnNum; case 'W': returnNum=9;return returnNum; case 'X': returnNum=9;return returnNum; case 'Y': returnNum=9;return returnNum; case 'Z': returnNum=9;return returnNum; default: return 0; } } } Note: Please Do not use this program to cheat in your own class. To ensure of this, I will take this question down if it has not been answered by the end of 2013, if I no longer need an explanation for it, or if the term for the class has ended.