Malformed expression: "(ERROR)" - get value from object in list

Like in topic. I have problem with getting primitive value from ArrayList. Everything should work, IDE show no errors, all values are initialized and I can see them in debugger (in ArrayList object list), but when I am trying to do anything with this object I am getting NullPointerException. Also, when I am hovering primitive while debuging I see Malformed expression: “(ERROR)” instead of value.

Classes that could potentially be causing the problem:

  1. Buildings superclass:
package Objects.Buildings;

import Lib.Graphics.multiTex;
import Objects.GameTerrain;
import Objects.Tiles.Background.BlankTile;
import Objects.Tiles.BuildingTile;

public abstract class Buildings {
    
    public int startWidth;
    public int endWidth;
    public int startHeight;
    public int endHeight;
    public int ID;
    
    public int population=1;
    
    private GameTerrain father;
    private multiTex tex;
    
    private boolean deleting = false;
    
    public Buildings(int id, int startWidth, int startHeight, int endWidth, int endHeight, multiTex tex, GameTerrain father) {
        this.ID = id;
        this.startWidth = startWidth;
        this.startHeight = startHeight;
        this.endWidth = endWidth;
        this.endHeight = endHeight;
        this.tex = tex;
        this.father = father;
        build();
    }
    
    private void build() {
        int texx=0;
        int texy=(endHeight-1)-startHeight;
        for (int i=startWidth; i<endWidth; i++) {
            for (int i2=startHeight; i2<endHeight; i2++) {
                father.tiles[i][i2] = new BuildingTile(i, i2, ID, tex.getTex(texx, texy), father);
                texy--;
            }
            texy=(endHeight-1)-startHeight;
            texx++;
        }
    }
    
    public void update() {
        delete();
    }
    
    private void delete() {
        if (deleting) {
            for (int i=startWidth; i<=endWidth; i++) {
                for (int i2=startHeight; i2<=endHeight; i2++) {
                    father.tiles[i][i2] = new BlankTile(i, i2, father);
                }
            }
        }
        father.buildings.set(ID, null);
    }
    
    public void deleteInit() {
        deleting = true;
    }
    
}
  1. Specified building:
package Objects.Buildings.Houses;

import Lib.Graphics.multiTex;
import Objects.Buildings.Buildings;
import Objects.GameTerrain;

public class SmallHouse extends Buildings {
    
    int maxPop;
    int happiness;
    int level;
    
    public SmallHouse(int id, int startWidth, int startHeight, int endWidth, int endHeight, multiTex tex, GameTerrain father) {
        super(id, startWidth, startHeight, endWidth, endHeight, tex, father);
        maxPop = 20;
        happiness = 50;
        level = 1;
    }
    
    @Override public void update() {
        popManager();
        super.update(); 
    }
    
    private void popManager() {
        if (population<maxPop && Math.random()>=0.95) {
            population++;
        }
    }
    
}
  1. Buildings manager:
package Objects;

import Core.Camera.Camera;
import Core.Graphics.LT;
import Core.Logic.Logic;
import Core.Switch;
import Lib.Graphics.Texture;
import Lib.Graphics.multiTex;
import Objects.Buildings.Buildings;
import Objects.Buildings.Houses.SmallHouse;
import Objects.Tiles.Background.BlankTile;

public class BuildingsManager {
    
    GameTerrain father;
    String buildingName;
    private int tilex;
    private int tiley;
    multiTex toDraw;
    boolean allowBuild = true;
    
    BuildingsManager(GameTerrain father) {
        this.father = father;
    }
    
    public void update() {
       checkHouses();
       if (toDraw!=null) {
           checker();
       }
    }
    
    public Buildings endAction() {
        if (toDraw!=null && allowBuild) {
            endBuildingSwitches();
            return buildingNameChecker();
        }
        else {
            return null;
        }
    }
    
    private void endBuildingSwitches() {
        Switch.groupIcon.house.small = false;
        Switch.groupIcon.house.medium = false;
        Switch.groupIcon.house.high = false;
        Switch.groupIcon.trade.small = false;
        Switch.groupIcon.trade.small = false;
        Switch.groupIcon.trade.small = false;
    }
    
    private Buildings buildingNameChecker() {
        switch (buildingName) {
            case "small house":
                return new SmallHouse(father.buildings.size(), tilex, tiley, tilex+toDraw.width, tiley+toDraw.height, toDraw, father);
            default:
                return null;
        }
    }
    
    private void checkHouses() {
        if (Switch.groupIcon.house.small) {
            buildingName = "small house";
            toDraw = LT.building.smallHouse.upgrade1;
        }
    }
    
    public void draw() {
        if (toDraw!=null) {
            for (int i=0; i<toDraw.width; i++) {
                for (int i2=0; i2<toDraw.height; i2++) {
                    if (allowBuild) {
                        Texture.draw(toDraw.getTex(i, i2), (tilex+i)*20, (tiley+toDraw.height-i2-1)*20, 0, 0.5f, 1, 0.5f, 0.5f);
                    }
                    else {
                        Texture.draw(toDraw.getTex(i, i2), (tilex+i)*20, (tiley+toDraw.height-i2-1)*20, 0, 1, 0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5f);
                    }
                }
            }
            allowBuild = true;
            toDraw=null;
        }
    }
    
    private void checker() {
        tilex = GameTerrain.currTile.x;
        tiley = GameTerrain.currTile.y;
         
        if (toDraw.width%2==0) {
            if ((Logic.mouse.x+Camera.cameraX)%20>=10) {
                tilex--;
            }
        }
        else {
            tilex-=toDraw.width/2;
        }
        if (toDraw.height%2==0) {
            if ((Logic.mouse.y+Camera.cameraY)%20>=10) {
                tiley--;
            }
        }
        else {
            tiley-=toDraw.height/2;
        }
        
        for (int i=0; i<toDraw.width; i++) {
            for (int i2=0; i2<toDraw.height; i2++) {
                if (!(father.tiles[tilex+i][tiley+toDraw.height-i2-1] instanceof BlankTile)) {
                    allowBuild=false;
                }
            }
        }
    }
    
}
  1. GameTerrain (only update()):
    public void update() {
        me.update();
        currTile.x = (int) Math.floor((Logic.mouse.x+Camera.cameraX+10)/20);
        currTile.y = (int) Math.floor((Logic.mouse.y+Camera.cameraY+10)/20);
        
        for (int i=0; i<buildings.size(); i++) {
            buildings.get(i).update();
        }
        
        if (!cancelActions) {
            manager.update();
            if (me.mousePressed && !me.GUIHovered) {
                ignoreGUI = true;
                iGUI = true;
            }
            if (me.mousePressed && ignoreGUI) {
                roadMaker.update();
                deleter.update();
            }
            if (me.mouseClicked) {
                if (manager.endAction()!=null) {
                    buildings.add(manager.endAction());
                }
                roadMaker.endAction();
                deleter.endAction();
            }
            else if (!me.mousePressed) {
                roadMaker.clear();
                deleter.clear();
                ignoreGUI=false;
                iGUI = false;
            }
        }
        else {
            roadMaker.clear();
            ignoreGUI=false;
            iGUI = false;
        }
        
        if (me.mousePressed && me.cancelClicked) {
            cancelActions=true;
        }
        else if (!me.mousePressed) {cancelActions=false;}
        
        resources.update();
        
    }
  1. Resources class:
package Objects;

public class Resources {
    
    public static long population = 0;
    public static long money = 0;
    public static long oil = 0;
    public static long steelOre = 0;
    public static long steel = 0;
    public static long fastanicOre = 0;
    public static long fastanic = 0;
    
    private GameTerrain father;
    
    public Resources(GameTerrain father) {
        this.father = father;
    }
    
    public void update() {
        population = 0;
        for (int i=0; i<father.buildings.size(); i++) {
            population += father.buildings.get(i).population;
        }
    }
    
    public void draw() {
        
    }
    
}

Game crashes at father.buildings.get(i).population; in Resources class and buildings.get(i).update(); in GameTerrain class.

In Buildings.delete() method you are setting an index to null instead of using remove(). If you aren’t closing the gaps, you will have null values that will give you an error when you try to iterate over everything.

Very big thanks! I was looking for a bug in a completely different place, didn’t expected that it could be there. I will have to be more cautious next time. :wink: