String comparison weirdness.

Howdy!

So, I'm building a game which tests ESL students by asking them to type the names of fruits written on virtual placards. And I'm attempting to implement a system where they can type something, have it appear on screen, and if it's the correct spelling, then it will automatically cause that fruit to fly off the screen. This works if the fruit's name is the first and only thing you type. But if you delete what you've typed (assuming a scenario where one makes a typing error), it doesn't register the two strings as equal. I've tested these two strings at runtime (see commented out flag print statements), and Unity says they're equal. So I'm way confused. Even though characterchecker.answer, the string that fruit is looking for in order to fly away is identical to typed_string, it's not registering them as equal.

Perhaps there's something subtle about strings I don't understand? I'll give a more accurate description of the error, and show you the classes where i am pretty darn sure the error lies.

I'd be much obliged and sing praises of your heroic deeds to my descendants, if you could help me out on this one. Thanks so much for your time!

--Simon

ERROR: WHEN INPUT_STRING ONCE AGAIN

SCRIPT: CHARACTER DESTROYER. THIS SCRIPT COMPARES THE NAMES OF ALL THE FRUITS ON SCREEN, THEIR VARIABLE CALLED MYTARGET.ANSWER, TO THE STRING OF CHARACTERS THAT THE USER HAS TYPED IN, CALLED TYPED_STRING. I'VE EMBOLDENED WHERE IT CHECKS FOR THIS EQUALITY.

private var mytarget; var characterchecker; var perspectivescript; var mydistance; var placards_onscreen = 1; var time_between_waves = 2.00; private var placards_active = placards_onscreen; var musicplacer: GameObject; var placardplacer: GameObject; var callednewplacards = false; var combocount = 0; var mistake_count = 0; var eyeofbeholder: GameObject; var guiscript; guiscript = eyeofbeholder.GetComponent("Basic GUI"); var numberdestroyed = 0; var missed_answer = "";

function Start() { CallNewPlacards(); }

function Update() { //print("This Frame's Variables:"); //print("-----------------------"); //print("Typed String: " + guiscript.typed_string); //print("Initial String: " + guiscript.initial_string); //print("Input String: " + Input.inputString); if(Input.GetKeyDown("backspace")) { guiscript.typed_string = ""; } if(Input.anyKeyDown && GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("Ground Placards").length) { eyeofbeholder.SendMessage("AddCharToString", Input.inputString); TestClosestPlacard(); ResetPlacardTags(); } placards_active = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("Ground Placards").length; if(!placards_active && !callednewplacards) { Invoke("CallNewPlacards", time_between_waves); callednewplacards = true; } }

function TestClosestPlacard() { mytarget = FindClosestPlacard(); if(mytarget != null) { characterchecker = mytarget.GetComponent("Character Checker"); perspectivescript = mytarget.GetComponent("Perspective Cheater"); if(guiscript.typed_string != characterchecker.answer && mydistance<1600) { mytarget.tag = "Already Looked"; TestClosestPlacard(); } print("Typed:" + guiscript.typed_string); print("Answer:" + characterchecker.answer); print("can knock down:" + perspectivescript.canknockdown); if((characterchecker.answer == guiscript.typed_string) && perspectivescript.canknockdown && !characterchecker.destroyit) { characterchecker.destroyit = true; mytarget.tag = "Destroyed Placards"; combocount++; guiscript.typed_string = ""; numberdestroyed++; }

 }

}

// Find the name of the closest enemy function FindClosestPlacard () : GameObject { // Find all game objects with tag Enemy var gos : GameObject[]; gos = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("Ground Placards"); var closest : GameObject; mydistance = Mathf.Infinity; var myposition = transform.position; // Iterate through them and find the closest one for (var go : GameObject in gos)
{ var diff = (go.transform.position - myposition); var curDistance = diff.sqrMagnitude; if (curDistance < mydistance) { closest = go; mydistance = curDistance; } } return closest;
}

function ResetPlacardTags() { var allplacards = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("Already Looked"); for (var placard: GameObject in allplacards) { placard.tag = "Ground Placards"; } }

function CallNewPlacards() { for(var i: int = 0; i < placards_onscreen; i++) { placardplacer.SendMessage ("SetNewPlacard"); } placards_active = placards_onscreen; callednewplacards = false; }