Passing Arraylist

In addition to the ArrayLists used to insert objects for the dealer and player I defined a standard fixed object array. When I get ready to call the service to compute a total intstead  

of trying to pass an ArrayList I convert the ArrayList. For example object[] dealtCards = dealersCards.ToArray();  int dealersTotal = dealer.GetHandValue( dealtCards ); So I pass the object array to the service. I get the total back OK. Now the programs work and they work correctly.

You can't pass an arraylist back and forth a web service, it's not serializable.

I hope this makes things clear.

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.ComponentModel;

using System.Data;

using System.Drawing;

using System.Text;

using System.Windows.Forms;

using System.Net;

using System.Collections;

namespace Blackjack

public partial class BlackjackForm : Form

// object allowing communication with Web service

private localhost.OOPBlackjackService dealer =

new localhost.OOPBlackjackService();

// reference to Card class

private localhost.Card card;

// ArrayList of the dealer's cards

private ArrayList dealersCards;

// ArrayList of the player's cards

private ArrayList playersCards;

private ArrayList cardBoxes; // list of PictureBoxes for card images

private int currentPlayerCard; // player's current card number

private int currentDealerCard; // dealer's current card number

// enum representing the possible game outcomes

public enum GameStatus

PUSH, // game ends in a tie

LOSE, // player loses

WIN, // player wins

BLACKJACK // player has blackjack

} // end enum GameStatus

public BlackjackForm()

} // end constructor

// sets up the game

private void BlackjackForm_Load( object sender, EventArgs e )

// allow session state

dealer.CookieContainer = new CookieContainer();

cardBoxes = new ArrayList();

dealersCards = new ArrayList();

playersCards = new ArrayList();

// put PictureBoxes into cardBoxes

} // end method BlackjackForm_Load

// deals cards to dealer while dealer's total is less than 17,

// then computes value of each hand and determines winner

private void DealerPlay()

// while value of dealer's hand is below 17,

// dealer must take cards

while ( dealer.GetHandValue( dealersCards ) < 17 )

card = dealer.DealCard(); // deal new card

dealersCards.Add( card ); // add new card to dealers hand

// update GUI to show new card

DisplayCard( currentDealerCard, card, false );

MessageBox.Show( "Dealer takes a card" );

} // end while

int dealersTotal = dealer.GetHandValue( dealersCards );

int playersTotal = dealer.GetHandValue( playersCards );

// if dealer busted, player wins

if ( dealersTotal > 21 )

GameOver( GameStatus.WIN );

return;

} // end if

// if dealer and player have not exceeded 21,

// higher score wins; equal scores is a push.

if ( dealersTotal > playersTotal )

GameOver( GameStatus.LOSE );

else if ( playersTotal > dealersTotal )

GameOver( GameStatus.WIN );

else

GameOver( GameStatus.PUSH );

} // end method DealerPlay

// displays card represented by card object in specified PictureBox

public void DisplayCard( int card, localhost.Card cardObject, bool displaySwitch )

// retrieve appropriate PictureBox from ArrayList

PictureBox displayBox = ( PictureBox )( cardBoxes[ card ] );

// if displaySwitch equals false,

// set displayBox to display back of card

if ( !displaySwitch )

Image.FromFile( "blackjack_images/cardback.png" );

return;

} // end if

// retrieve face value of card from card object

int face = cardObject.Face;

// retrieve the suit of the card from card object

int suit = cardObject.Suit;

// string representation of face used to form image file name

string strFace = Convert.ToString( face );

char suitLetter; // suit letter used to form image file name

// determine the suit letter of the card

switch ( suit )

case 0: // clubs

suitLetter = 'c';

break;

case 1: // diamonds

suitLetter = 'd';

break;

case 2: // hearts

suitLetter = 'h';

break;

default: // spades

suitLetter = 's';

break;

} // end switch

// set displayBox to display appropriate image

displayBox.Image = Image.FromFile(

"blackjack_images/" + strFace + suitLetter + ".png" );

} // end method DisplayCard

// displays all player cards and shows

// appropriate game status message

public void GameOver( GameStatus winner )

int i = 0;

// display all the dealer's cards

foreach ( object tempCard in dealersCards )

localhost.Card card = tempCard as localhost.Card;

DisplayCard( i, card, true);

// display appropriate status image

if ( winner == GameStatus.PUSH ) // push

Image.FromFile( "blackjack_images/tie.png" );

else if ( winner == GameStatus.LOSE ) // player loses

Image.FromFile( "blackjack_images/lose.png" );

else if ( winner == GameStatus.BLACKJACK )

// player has blackjack

Image.FromFile( "blackjack_images/blackjack.png" );

else // player wins

Image.FromFile( "blackjack_images/win.png" );

// display final totals for dealer and player

"Dealer: " + dealer.GetHandValue( dealersCards );

"Player: " + dealer.GetHandValue( playersCards );

// reset controls for new game

stayButton.Enabled = false;

hitButton.Enabled = false;

dealButton.Enabled = true;

} // end method GameOver

// deal two cards each to dealer and player

private void dealButton_Click( object sender, EventArgs e )

// clear card arrays

// clear card images

foreach ( PictureBox cardImage in cardBoxes )

cardImage.Image = null;

statusPictureBox.Image = null; // clear status image

dealerTotalLabel.Text = ""; // clear final total for dealer

playerTotalLabel.Text = ""; // clear final total for player

// create a new, shuffled deck on the remote machine

// deal two cards to player

card = dealer.DealCard(); // deal a card to player's hand

playersCards.Add( card ); // add first card to player's hand

// update GUI to display new card

DisplayCard( 11, card, true );

card = dealer.DealCard(); // deal a second card

DisplayCard( 12, card, true ); // update GUI to display new card

playersCards.Add( card ); // add second card to player's hand

// deal two cards to dealer, only display face of first card

card = dealer.DealCard(); // deal a card to dealer's hand

dealersCards.Add( card ); // add first card to dealer's hand

DisplayCard( 0, card, true ); // update GUI to display new card

card = dealer.DealCard(); // deal a second card

dealersCards.Add( card ); // add second card to dealer's hand

DisplayCard( 1, card, false ); // update GUI to show face-down card

stayButton.Enabled = true; // allow player to stay

hitButton.Enabled = true; // allow player to hit

dealButton.Enabled = false; // disable Deal Button

// determine the value of the two hands

int dealersTotal = dealer.GetHandValue( dealersCards );

int playersTotal = dealer.GetHandValue( playersCards );

// if hands equal 21, it is a push

if ( dealersTotal == playersTotal && dealersTotal == 21 )

GameOver( GameStatus.PUSH );

else if ( dealersTotal == 21 ) // if dealer has 21, dealer wins

GameOver( GameStatus.LOSE );

else if ( playersTotal == 21 ) // player has blackjack

GameOver( GameStatus.BLACKJACK );

// next dealer card has index 2 in cardBoxes

// next player card has index 13 in cardBoxes

} // end method dealButton

// deal another card to player

private void hitButton_Click( object sender, EventArgs e )

// get player another card

card = dealer.DealCard(); // deal new card

playersCards.Add( card ); // add new card to player's hand

// update GUI to show new card

DisplayCard( currentPlayerCard, card, true );

// determine the value of the player's hand

int total = dealer.GetHandValue( playersCards );

// if player exceeds 21, house wins

if ( total > 21 )

GameOver( GameStatus.LOSE );

// if player has 21,

// they cannot take more cards, and dealer plays

if ( total == 21 )

hitButton.Enabled = false;

} // end if

} // end method hitButton_Click

// play the dealer's hand after the play chooses to stay

private void stayButton_Click( object sender, EventArgs e )

stayButton.Enabled = false; // disable Stay Button

hitButton.Enabled = false; // display Hit Button

dealButton.Enabled = true; // re-enable Deal Button

DealerPlay(); // player chose to stay, so play the dealer's hand

} // end method stayButton_Click

} // end class BlackjackForm

} // end namespace Blackjack

Bruce:

May we see the code showing how you are handling it in the client.  An arraylist is not type safe and everything in it is cast to System.Object; how are you handing that?