android - .setText not working properly -

so i'm in basic part of application i'm wanting make. i've never gotten error before, , don't know what's going on. .settext throwing error saying "settext cannot resolved or not field" i've looked around , haven't been able find problem. believe i'm doing correctly. if me out that'd great!

mainactivity.java:

public class mainactivity extends activity {  final textview loading_text = (textview)findviewbyid(r.id.textview4); final edittext name_edit = (edittext)findviewbyid(r.id.edittext1); //string values     string age="";     string name = name_edit.gettext().tostring();  //int values     int gender = 0; //1 male | 2 female     int group = 0; //different groups ages , genders     int save_info = 0; //save info phone   @override protected void oncreate(bundle savedinstancestate) {     super.oncreate(savedinstancestate);     setcontentview(r.layout.activity_main);      button male_button= (button)findviewbyid(r.id.button1);     button female_button = (button)findviewbyid(r.id.button2);       male_button.setonclicklistener(new view.onclicklistener() {          @override         public void onclick(view arg0) {             gender++;//adds 1 show user male.              loading_text.settext=(name);         }     }); } 

i saw 2 problems:

first:

loading_text.settext=(name);

should

loading_text.settext("the text want set");

you'll need take @ api document see how call method.

second:

move these part:

final textview loading_text = (textview)findviewbyid(r.id.textview4); final edittext name_edit = (edittext)findviewbyid(r.id.edittext1); //string values     string age="";     string name = name_edit.gettext().tostring(); 

inside oncreate, this:

public class mainactivity extends activity {  textview loading_text; edittext name_edit; ... @override protected void oncreate(bundle savedinstancestate) {     super.oncreate(savedinstancestate);     setcontentview(r.layout.activity_main);     loading_text = (textview)findviewbyid(r.id.textview4);     name_edit = (edittext)findviewbyid(r.id.edittext1); 

or you'll nullpointerexception.

this because trying reach view's property before view being initialized. view initialized after setcontentview, , intend findviewbyid r.layout.activity_main before had been loaded.

similarly, you'll need move call of method:

string name = name_edit.gettext().tostring();

somewhere after setcontentview.