Android : My app crashes when there is a blank editText field

Question

I have a problem with my code. It keeps on crashing when i have a blank editText field. This bit of code is in the settings of my app and works the data fine but when there is a blank field it crashes the program. Here's the code for it. Please don't be harsh because it is my 1st android app. So if anyone knows how to solves the blank edit text field problem that would be greatly appreciated! (Any other comments on how to improve the app would be a help to).

Cheers

package com.cleanyet.cyv100fp;

import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.EditText;

public class sTasks extends Activity {


@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.tasks);     

    /*Sets Up the Variables*/
    Button done = (Button) findViewById(R.id.done1);
    EditText t1 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask1);
    EditText t2 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask2);
    EditText t3 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask3);
    EditText t4 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask4);
    EditText t5 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask5);

    String FILENAME1 = "stask1";
    String FILENAME2 = "stask2";
    String FILENAME3 = "stask3";
    String FILENAME4 = "stask4";
    String FILENAME5 = "stask5";

    String task1 = null;
    String task2 = null;
    String task3 = null;
    String task4 = null;
    String task5 = null;

    String edit = "Edit Task";

    /*Fixes the Blank Field bug*/

    /*Sets up the file input*/
    FileInputStream fis = null;

    /*Gets the tasks set previously*/

    /*Task 1 set up*/
    try {
        fis = openFileInput(FILENAME1);
        byte[] dataArray = new byte[fis.available()];
        while (fis.read(dataArray) != -1){
            task1 = new String(dataArray);

        }

    } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    finally {
        try {
            fis.close();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            // TODO Auto-generated catch block
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
    if (task1.toString().length() < 0) {

    task1.toString();

    t1.setText(task1);
    }
    else {
        t1.setText(edit);
    }
    /*Task 2 set up*/

    try {
        fis = openFileInput(FILENAME2);
        byte[] dataArray = new byte[fis.available()];
        while (fis.read(dataArray) != -1){
            task2 = new String(dataArray);

        }

    } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    finally {
        try {
            fis.close();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            // TODO Auto-generated catch block
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
    if (task2.toString().length() < 0) {

    task2.toString();

    t2.setText(task2);
    }
    else {
        t2.setText(edit);
    }
    /*Task 3 set up*/

    try {
        fis = openFileInput(FILENAME3);
        byte[] dataArray = new byte[fis.available()];
        while (fis.read(dataArray) != -1){
            task3 = new String(dataArray);

        }

    } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    finally {
        try {
            fis.close();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            // TODO Auto-generated catch block
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    if (task3.toString().length() < 0) {

    task3.toString();

    t3.setText(task3);
    }
    else {
        t3.setText(edit);
    }
    /*Task 4 set up*/


    try {
        fis = openFileInput(FILENAME4);
        byte[] dataArray = new byte[fis.available()];
        while (fis.read(dataArray) != -1){
            task4 = new String(dataArray);

        }

    } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    finally {
        try {
            fis.close();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            // TODO Auto-generated catch block
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    if (task4.toString().length() < 0) {

    task4.toString();

    t4.setText(task4);
    }
    else {
        t4.setText(edit);
    }
    /*Task 5 set up*/           

    try {
        fis = openFileInput(FILENAME5);
        byte[] dataArray = new byte[fis.available()];
        while (fis.read(dataArray) != -1){
            task5 = new String(dataArray);

        }

    } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    finally {
        try {
            fis.close();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            // TODO Auto-generated catch block
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    if (task5.toString().length() < 0) {

    task5.toString();

    t5.setText(task5);
    }
    else {
        t5.setText(edit);
    }

    /*When changes have been made and done is clicked*/
    done.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {

        public void onClick(View v) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub

            /*Sets up the Variables*/
            EditText t1 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask1);
            EditText t2 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask2);
            EditText t3 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask3);
            EditText t4 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask4);
            EditText t5 = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.tbTask5);

            String tasks1 = t1.getText().toString();
            String tasks2 = t2.getText().toString();
            String tasks3 = t3.getText().toString();
            String tasks4 = t4.getText().toString();
            String tasks5 = t5.getText().toString();

            String FILENAME1 = "stask1";
            String FILENAME2 = "stask2";
            String FILENAME3 = "stask3";
            String FILENAME4 = "stask4";
            String FILENAME5 = "stask5";

            String task1 = tasks1;
            String task2 = tasks2;
            String task3 = tasks3;
            String task4 = tasks4;
            String task5 = tasks5;
            String edit = "Go to settings to make this task.";

            if (t1 != null){

                t1.setText(edit);
                /*t2.setText(edit);
                t3.setText(edit);
                t4.setText(edit);
                t5.setText(edit);*/

            };

            /*Put if statement here to catch the empty field*/

            /*Makes The Changes to the Tasks*/
            try {

                FileOutputStream fos1 = openFileOutput(FILENAME1, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
                fos1.write(task1.getBytes());
                fos1.close();

            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }

            try {

                FileOutputStream fos2 = openFileOutput(FILENAME2, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
                fos2.write(task2.getBytes());
                fos2.close();

            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }

            try {

                FileOutputStream fos3 = openFileOutput(FILENAME3, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
                fos3.write(task3.getBytes());
                fos3.close();

            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }

            try {

                FileOutputStream fos4 = openFileOutput(FILENAME4, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
                fos4.write(task4.getBytes());
                fos4.close();

            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }

            try {

                FileOutputStream fos5 = openFileOutput(FILENAME5, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
                fos5.write(task5.getBytes());
                fos5.close();

            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }


            startActivity(new Intent("com.checkin.cyv100fp.settings"));

        }
    });

}



}

Answer 1

if (task1.toString().length() < 0) {
    task1.toString();
    t1.setText(task1);
}
else {
    t1.setText(edit);
}

The above makes no sense at all.

Firstly task1 IS a string so there's no need to call toString() to convert it to one.

Secondly, your conditional statement ( if ) is checking to see if task1 has a length less than zero....think about it.

Thirdly, if it does have an impossible length less than zero you then call toString() on it again (with no variable to receive the impossible less than zero result) and you then try to set the text of your t1 EditText .

The chances are that your file reading is failing (probably because you only save the strings later in the onClick(...) method). Because your task strings will be null if the file reading fails then you need to test for null before trying to use them.

In other words you're doing this in your code...

String task1 = null;

To fix the bit of code I enclosed at the beginning, use...

if (task1 != null) {
    t1.setText(task1);
}
else {
    t1.setText(edit);
}

...but most importantly, make sure your files have the strings in them that you need to read.