How can I create/instantiate an object from an if-else statement?

Question

For some reason the following code won't work when trying to create a object from different subclasses based on the result of an if-else statement:

if (option == 1) {

     UndergradTA student = new UndergradTA();
     student.setIsUnderGrad(true);

} else if (option == 2) {

     GradTA student = new GradTA();
     student.setIsGrad(true);
}

When I then try to use methods on the "student" class later on in the main method it won't allow me, saying "student cannot be resolved".

Answer 1

Change Your Code to:

UndergradTA student = null;
GradTA stud = null;

if (option == 1) {

    student = new UndergradTA();
    student.setIsUnderGrad(true);

} else if (option == 2) {

    stud = new GradTA();
    stud.setIsGrad(true);
}