More on the pointer exception

Question

ok, I think by using "new" for the ArrayList variable I was able to get around that problem. now a new NullPointerException has come up. One the last line that is listed in the error stack, i.e. the top line, there is this:
writesock.write(objarray, msg.bytecount(), new Continuation()
//the Continuation thing is a function declared right in the param list
Anyways, my concern deals with the "msg.bytecount()" parameter. msg is an object. that object has ArrayList prefs as member data, and it has the method add_pref that I was talking about earlier. However, I do not see a method for the class called bytecount(). First, how does this manage to compile? Second, I feel that since I am messing with the class that msg is an object of, my problem must lie here, i.e. something with this bytecount() is causing a side effect.
Any ideas?

Answer 1

You said, Continuation is a function declaration.. but
you are using it as "new Continuation()".
So, does the writesock.write method expect a
"Continuation object" to be passed? What type of
object is "writesock"?actually I just saw the bytecount() method declared in a super class, hence why this code compiles (eventually us procedural C programmers will have this OO stuff figured out :-) )
now, I dont think the problem has to do with the Continuation object, since others have tested this code before and I have not modified that area. I think that the problem has something to do with me increasing the message size. I added another member variable (ArrayList prefs) to the class that variable msg is an object of. So if the msg.bytecount() value is wrong, then maybe that is why this null pointer exception is occuring? Would it be correct to assume that I increased the bytecount of msg by the value "sizeof(prefs)"? Like, lets say prefs had one thing in it. would sizeof(prefs) give me a nice bytecount that i could add in to the parameter msg.bytecount() ???