Java + Libgdx: Gdx.app.log() null pointer error

Question

I am learning the LibGDX engine in parallel to re-learning java, and have written a simple logging class that has one method with a string argument to be passed to the Gdx.app.log() . while this isn't needed I did so to practice importing and using custom methods and classes, as well as reducing the length of the line needed to send a message to the console. the method looks like so:

import com.badlogic.gdx.Gdx;

public class logging {
  public static final String tag="Console";
  //contains method for logging to the console during testing.
  public void log(String message){
    Gdx.app.log(tag, message);
  }
}

Then in the class I am using it in, it is imported properly, and a public logging 'con' is created. Up to this point everything seems to work fine because when I type con. in eclipse I get the log(message) as an autocomplete option, however when it is actually called for instance in a screen, under the show() method. when the program tries to step through that point i get a java.lang.NullPointerException which is confusing the hell out of me since everything is written properly. as an example of its use:

con.log("this is a test");

is the exact usage I attempt which seems fine in eclipse before runtime. Is there some simple idea I am failing to grasp here? or a quirk to the Gdx.app.log() ? Please no responses with "just use the Gdx.app.log() ; where you need to write to the log" as this is not the point of the exercise for me. thank you in advance for all the help!

Answer 1

If you are getting a NullPointerException in this line:

con.log("this is a test");

The only thing that can be null is con. You are probably defining it, but not actually creating it.

Logging con;

and not

Logging con = new Logging();