[JAVA][Beginning Java 8 Games Development]

Chapter 10 ■ Directing the Cast of Actors: Creating a Casting Director Engine and Creating the Bagel Actor Class
Creating an ArrayList Object: CURRENT_CAST Data Store List
The first thing that we need to add to the CastingDirector class is a private List ArrayList object that
I am going to name CURRENT_CAST as it contains the Actor objects that are currently on the Stage, which is the
current cast. Although it is not technically a constant as far as using static and final keywords in its declaration, it
is acting (no pun intended) as a database of sorts, and so I am using ALL_CAPS so that it stands out in the code as
being a data structure. I’m also going to add a basic .get() method to access the ArrayList structure using
a Java return keyword to return an object to the calling entity. The code for the declaration and instantiation of
the CURRENT_CAST ArrayList object and the body of the .getCurrentCast() method structure should look like the
following Java code:
package invincibagel;
public class CastingDirector {
private List CURRENT_CAST = new ArrayList();
}
public List getCurrentCast() {
return CURRENT_CAST;
}
As you can see in Figure 10-3, there is wavy red error highlighting under your List interface reference as well as
your ArrayList reference in the line of code that declares and instantiates the CURRENT_CAST object, so you’ll need
to use the Alt-Enter work process, and have NetBeans 8 write the import java.util.List; statement at the top of
your class. The .getCurrentCast() will be the easiest method to code, as it simply returns your entire CURRENT_CAST
ArrayList object to whatever Java entity may be calling the method. Next, we’ll take a look at how to code
the more complicated ArrayList data store access methods, which will deal with adding, removing, and resetting
(clearing) the Actor objects from this CURRENT_CAST ArrayList object.
Figure 10-3. Inside the CastingDirector class, add a CURRENT_CAST List object, and a .getCurrentCast() method
The first method that we will code is the .addCurrentCast() method, which will pass in a comma delimited List
of Actor objects to the List (and the ArrayList class that implements List) interfaces .addAll() method call. As you have
learned already, a comma delimited List is passed at the end of the method parameter list, unless, as it is in this case,
it is the only parameter.
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