Very confused beginner here...

Question

Hello everyone. I'm new to the board here. I am currently a junior meteorology major with a minor in computer science at Millersville University. To incorporate both my minor and major, I decided to make a computer program that scrolls weather watches and warnings across the bottom of a computer screen (much like they do on television). I am a beginner at Java, only using it for a few months. I really feel like I have bitten off more than I can chew with this program. However, I am dedicated in working through this problem. Below is a copy of the code I am using for this. I keep getting errors, however. I had it working perfectly, besides the fact that a) it never updated and b) it would never scroll more than one watch or warning, meaning it would just loop one over and over. I have also included the errors that I receive during this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am sorry if the code looks a bit trashy and disorganized. These are just some things, being a rookie, that I am going to have to learn how to clean up. Thanks
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.util.*;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.applet.Applet;
import java.applet.AudioClip;
import java.net.*;
import de.nava.informa.core.ChannelIF;
import de.nava.informa.core.ItemIF;
import de.nava.informa.impl.basic.ChannelBuilder;
import de.nava.informa.parsers.FeedParser;
public class WxScroll extends JFrame implements ActionListener {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
     int count = 0;
     JLabel scrollLabel;
     String scroll, watwarstring, text;
     Label label;
     ItemIF item;
     Component newText;
     String watwar[];
     String newscroll, oldText;
     ChannelIF channel;
     Collection items;
     final TimerTask task;
     java.util.Timer timercheck;
     ChannelBuilder channelb;
     URL url;
     public WxScroll() {
          final Color red = new Color(255, 0, 0);
          final Color yellow = new Color(255, 255, 0);
          final Color orange = new Color(255, 165, 0);
          final Color darkred = new Color(205, 38, 38);
          final Color orangered = new Color(255, 69, 0);
          final Color darkmagenta = new Color(139, 0, 139);
          final Color blueviolet = new Color(138, 43, 226);
          final Color lime = new Color(50, 205, 50);
          final Color goldenrod = new Color(205, 155, 29);
          final Color deeppink = new Color(255, 20, 147);
          final Color lightsteelblue = new Color(176, 196, 222);
          final Color yellowgreen = new Color(154, 205, 50);
          final Color limegreen = new Color(34, 139, 34);
          final Color burlywood = new Color(222, 184, 135);
          final Color paleturquoise = new Color(102, 139, 139);
          final Color springgreen = new Color(0, 238, 118);
          final Color seagreen = new Color(46, 139, 87);
          final Color greenyellow = new Color(127, 255, 0);
          final Color steelblue = new Color(54, 100, 139);
          final Color royalblue = new Color(65, 105, 225);
          final Color hotpink = new Color(255, 105, 180);
          final Color tan = new Color(205, 133, 63);
          final Color skyblue = new Color(135, 206, 250);
          final Color palevioletred = new Color(219, 112, 147);
          final Color slateblue = new Color(0, 127, 255);
          final Color coral = new Color(255, 127, 0);
          final Color cornflower = new Color(100, 149, 237);
          final Color maroon = new Color(176, 48, 96);
          try {
               URL url = new URL("file:misslebeep2.wav");
               AudioClip ac = Applet.newAudioClip(url);
               ac.play();
          } catch (Exception e) {
          timercheck = new java.util.Timer();
          task = new TimerTask() {
               public void run() {
                    try {
                         channel = FeedParser
                                   .parse(
                                             channelb = new ChannelBuilder(),
                                             url = new URL(
                                                       "http://www.weather.gov/alerts/wwarssget.php?zone=COZ041"));
                    catch (Exception e) {
                         System.out.println("exception");
                    finally {
                         items = channel.getItems();
                         scrollLabel = new JLabel(newscroll);
                         for (Iterator i = items.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
                              count++;
                              ItemIF item = (ItemIF) i.next();
                              scroll = item.getDescription();
                              newscroll += scroll
                                        .replaceAll("<br>", " ")
                                        .replaceAll(
                                                  "Issuing Weather Forecast Office Homepage",
                                        .replaceAll("</a>", " ")
                                        .replaceAll(
                                                  "<a href=http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/ctp>",
                         if (newscroll.contains("There are no active"))
                              scrollLabel.setVisible(false);
                         else {
                              scrollLabel.setBackground(red);
                              if (newscroll.contains("Tornado warning".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(red);
                              if (newscroll.contains("Severe thunderstorm warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(orange);
                              if (newscroll.contains("Flash Flood Warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(darkred);
                              if (newscroll
                                        .contains("Blizzard Warning".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(orangered);
                              if (newscroll.contains("ice storm warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(darkmagenta);
                              if (newscroll.contains("short term".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(burlywood);
                              if (newscroll.contains("heavy snow warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(blueviolet);
                              if (newscroll.contains("heavy sleet warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(skyblue);
                              if (newscroll.contains("flood warning".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(lime);
                              if (newscroll.contains("high wind warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(goldenrod);
                              if (newscroll
                                        .contains("red flag warning".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(deeppink);
                              if (newscroll.contains("wind chill warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(lightsteelblue);
                              if (newscroll.contains("freeze warning".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(Color.cyan);
                              if (newscroll.contains("snow watch".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(Color.cyan);
                              if (newscroll.contains("flood statement".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(yellowgreen);
                              if (newscroll.contains("tornado watch".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(yellow);
                              if (newscroll.contains("severe thunderstorm watch"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(palevioletred);
                              if (newscroll.contains("flash flood watch"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(limegreen);
                              if (newscroll.contains("freezing rain".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(slateblue);
                              if (newscroll
                                        .contains("freezing drizzle".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(slateblue);
                              if (newscroll.contains("sleet advisory".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(slateblue);
                              if (newscroll.contains("winter weather advisory"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(burlywood);
                              if (newscroll.contains("wind chill advisory"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(paleturquoise);
                              if (newscroll.contains("heat advisory".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(coral);
                              if (newscroll.contains("flood advisory".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(springgreen);
                              if (newscroll.contains("snow advisory".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(paleturquoise);
                              if (newscroll.contains("wind advisory".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(tan);
                              if (newscroll.contains("frost advisory".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(cornflower);
                              if (newscroll.contains("flood watch".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(seagreen);
                              if (newscroll.contains("blizzard watch".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(greenyellow);
                              if (newscroll.contains("winter storm watch"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(steelblue);
                              if (newscroll.contains("winter storm warning"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(hotpink);
                              if (newscroll.contains("high wind watch".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(goldenrod);
                              if (newscroll.contains("excessive heat watch"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(maroon);
                              if (newscroll.contains("freeze watch".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(royalblue);
                              if (newscroll
                                        .contains("wind chill watch".toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(royalblue);
                              if (newscroll.contains("excessive heat watch"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(maroon);
                              if (newscroll.contains("excessive heat watch"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(maroon);
                              if (newscroll.contains("excessive heat watch"
                                        .toUpperCase()))
                                   scrollLabel.setBackground(maroon);
                              scrollLabel.setFont(new Font("Arial", Font.BOLD, 40));
                              getContentPane().add(scrollLabel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
                              scrollLabel.setOpaque(true);
                              scrollLabel.setForeground(Color.white);
     // create 2nd timer. give time of 1000ms.
     // event.getsource...in action performed
     timercheck.scheduleAtFixedRate(task, 1000, 10000);
     Timer timer = new Timer(120,this);
     //javax.swing.Timer timer = new javax.swing.Timer(120, this);
     timer.start();
     public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event) {
          oldText = scrollLabel.getText();
          StringBuffer newText = new StringBuffer(oldText.substring(1) + oldText.substring(0, 1));
          String text = newText.toString();
          scrollLabel = new JLabel (text);
          //scrollLabel.setText(newText.toString());
     public static void main(String[] args) {
          Dimension screen = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getScreenSize();
          int y = (14 * screen.height) / 15;
          WxScroll frame = new WxScroll();
          JLabel title = new JLabel("WxScroll");
          JPanel titlePanel = new JPanel();
          titlePanel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(0, 0));
          titlePanel.add(title);
          frame.setLocation(0, y);
          // paint component method, drawstring,
          frame.setUndecorated(true);
          frame.setAlwaysOnTop(true);
          frame.getContentPane().add(titlePanel);
          frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
          frame.pack();
          frame.setVisible(true);
}The errors i receive are:
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.NullPointerException
     at WxScroll.actionPerformed(WxScroll.java:289)
     at javax.swing.Timer.fireActionPerformed(Unknown Source)
     at javax.swing.Timer$DoPostEvent.run(Unknown Source)
     at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(Unknown Source)
     at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
     at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
     at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
     at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
     at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
     at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source)

Answer 1

I don't know. There are classes your code requires (e.g., everything in the de.nava.informa packages) that I don't have, so I can't really compile or run your code.
I will say this: it's a confused mess. There's too much code and too little abstraction. This is typical of beginning object-oriented programmers.
When you start seeing LOTS of repeated stuff like this:
                  if (newscroll.contains("Tornado warning".toUpperCase()))
                     scrollLabel.setBackground(red);
                  }alarm bells should start ringing in your head. It appears that a Map with a String as key and Color as value is wanted. I can make all that code collapse into something MUCH smaller. If I externalize all those awful Color declarations into a File that's read on startup (e.g., taking in the key message and the RGB values and initializing the Map), now I have something that I can change more easily. AND there's less code to manage.
I see URLs, applet, TimerTask, HTML - the kitchen sink.
I can't tell you what this class is about.
Be lazier - write less code. That's what good programmers do.
Try to think more abstractly.
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