Daniel Slaughter
Welcome
to my WebQuest area
|
Just another caffeinated
program Programming using Java 2: learning methods I.
Introduction
The key factor of standardized programming is
organization. What can be done in 10 lines of code can something be better
done in 20. It may seem more at first but when a program becomes complex then
the satisfaction of the simplicity is outstanding. In this WebQuest (Lesson) we will be going over the
basics of creating a method in Java, and how to use it! II.
Task
We will start by creating a new class that
initializes in the main method (this is where the program starts). It will
then incorporate different methods of that class into it. Making the passing
of requests easier for the programmer (because we’re lazy). In the end we
will have a finished project that is able to display a simple line of text
that is called from another method using the System.out.println()
class/method. III. Process
·
The teacher will go
over the installation instructions prior to the assignment; the links to the
subject’s matter can be found under the resource area. ·
Open up the Java
compiler. ·
Create a new project. ·
Create a new class. ·
Inside the class
declare the main method (previous lesson): public static void main(String[]
args) { }
i.
inside this method’s
bracket’s indlude the following line: 1.
System.out.println(displayInformation()); a.
This tells the
compiler to jump down to that method and ask it for what it wants to return.
In this case it will use that information to print it’s value. ·
Bellow the end bracket
(}) of the main method declare a new method:
i.
public String
displayInformation() {} 1.
public: this means
that the method can be called anywhere within the program/application. 2.
String: this means
that it will return some value when called (if no value is desired then it
will be known as “void”). 3.
displayInformation:
this is the name of the method; it is what will be referenced to. 4.
(): inside here can be
set Parameters. Such as “int pValue”; this would give the method a value to
use. Typically it will be used to judge what information will be sent back to
the calling method/class. (we will go over this in another lesson).
ii.
Inside this method’s
brackets (displayInformation) include the following line: 1.
return “I Love
Methods!”; a.
return: this will tell
the compiler that the information proceeding the return will be sent back to
the method/class that is calling this current method (displayInformation). b.
“I Love Methods!”:
since we are returning a “String” (specified in the declaration of the
method) we will need to return a string value. The “”’s tell us that we are
returning a String value. ·
Now just simply run
and compile the code… It should print “I Love Methods!” and then exit. IV. Resources
http://sun.com this is
where the java sdk can be found. (it’s used to compile the code.) http://bluej.org this is
where a good compiler called BlueJ can be found. It uses the sdk to compile
the code. V.
Evaluation
Teacher
to student help will be given upon request. Print out of the final
project’s code will be collected. VI. Conclusion
This unit was used to help me understand and
incorporate methods into future assignments. I can understand where the
benefits can be used in larger projects and where it causes too much useless
code in smaller ones. |
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