Compilation error with simple if-else statement

Question

package chapterFive;
* Author: Sarab
* Filename: MainClass.java
* Purpose: Try and get my mind around the concept of the selection
* control structures and repetition statements
class MainClass {
     public static void main(String [] args)
          // some variables and prompt for input
          java.util.Scanner scan = new java.util.Scanner(System.in);
          System.out.print("Please enter your name: ");
          String input = scan.nextLine();
          // some repetition statement, for loop
          if (input.equals("Sarab"));
               System.out.println("Welcome Sarab!");
          else
               System.out.println("You are in the else statement");
               for(int sentinelValue; sentinelValue<5; sentinelValue++)
                    System.out.println("The following is the numbers 0-4"
                              + " printed on separate lines: " + sentinelValue);
          System.out.println("This line will print regardless of whether you"
                    + " entered the if or the else portion of the selection"
                    + " statement.");
}I am getting the following error:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.Error: Unresolved compilation problem:
     Syntax error on token "else", delete this token
     at chapterFive.MainClass.main(MainClass.java:26)What's the matter? This looked straight forward enough to me.

Answer 1

if (input.equals("Sarab"));
// is the same as
if (input.equals("Sarab")) {}
// so what you have amounts to this:
if (input.equals("Sarab")) {}
  System.out.println("Welcome Sarab!");
else { ... }You've got an if block that does nothing, then a block that always executes, calling println, and then your else. Since you have that block between if and else, the if has ended and it's not legal to use else.
Get rid of the semicolon after if.