SCJD B&S ambiguous Sun's description -

Question

< issue 1 >
< Sun's description >
The id value (an 8 digit number) of the customer who has booked this. Note that for this application, you should assume that customers and CSRs know their customer ids. The system you are writing does not interact with these numbers, rather it simply records them. If this field is all blanks, the record is available for sale.
I am confused with the word, "not interact" ... simply record.
So, here is what I am going to do.
when which contractor is selected and book button is pressed,
dialog popup and user of this sw would type the the 8 digit number.
If my implementaion is considered as a interact with these number, please say so.
< issue 2 >
public int[] find(String[] criteria);
//--1./ returns an array of record numbers that match the specified critieria.
//--2./ Field n in the database file is described by criteria[n].
//--3./ A null value in criteria[n] matches any field value.
//--4./ A non-null value in critieria[n] matches any field value that begins with criteria[n]. (For example, "Fred", matches "Fred", "Freddy.")
1 and 2 is confusing 3 and 4 any field.
In another word, the words, "any field" can be considered other criteria's value?
using the word, field and criteria interchangably?
Let say
user choose which criteria with JComboBox
-> chosen criteria : column 1
-> type searching word : Fred
column 1 column 2 column 3 column 4
0 Fredy XX CC DD
1 XX Freding GG QQ
2 CC FF Fredden HH
3 HH QQ EE Freddy
Correct answer : __________
1) only row 0
2) ( any field ) row 0, 1, 2, 3
I hope it is clear enough to give me clear answer.

Answer 1

4gui wrote:
I hope it is clear enough to give me clear answer.No, your question isn't "clear enough" at all.
But those specs as provided by Sun are deliberately ambiguous.
It is your responsibility as a candidate to make decisions based on those specs (which is realistic based on realworld experience, though there you'd often try to discuss the problems with your customer, something that's often not possible).
Make a reasoned decision, document it, and implement it.
So it's up to you to decide what's correct behaviour, and why.
What quite a few people do (including me) is provide for several options in the code and either make only one of them (documented why that one of course) available in the user interface or allow the user interface to select which option to use.