Advanced Programming CH#5 – Methods in Java By: Lecturer Abebe A.

(MSc, Computer Science)

CHAPTER FIVE
METHODS IN JAVA
Overview
In general, a method is a way to perform some task. Similarly, the method in Java is a
collection of instructions that performs a specific task. It provides the reusability of code. We
can also easily modify code using methods. A method is a block of code or collection of
statements or a set of code grouped together to perform a certain task or operation. It is used
to achieve the reusability of code. We write a method once and use it many times. We do
not require writing code again and again.
It also provides the easy modification and readability of code, just by adding or removing a
chunk of code. The method is executed only when we call or invoke it.
The most important method in Java is the main() method.
Method Declaration
The method declaration provides information about method attributes, such as visibility,
return-type, name, and arguments. It has six components that are known as method header,
as we have shown in the following figure.

Method Signature: Every method has a method signature. It is a part of the method
declaration. It includes the method name and parameter list.
1. Access Specifier: Access specifier or modifier is the access type of the method. It
specifies the visibility of the method. Java provides four types of access specifier:
o Public: The method is accessible by all classes when we use public specifier in our
application.
o Private: When we use a private access specifier, the method is accessible only in the
classes in which it is defined.
o Protected: When we use protected access specifier, the method is accessible within the
same package or subclasses in a different package.
o Default: When we do not use any access specifier in the method declaration, Java uses
default access specifier by default. It is visible only from the same package only.
2. Return Type: Return type is a data type that the method returns. It may have a primitive
data type, object, collection, void, etc. If the method does not return anything, we use void
keyword.
3. Method Name: It is a unique name that is used to define the name of a method. It must
be corresponding to the functionality of the method. Suppose, if we are creating a method

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Advanced Programming CH#5 – Methods in Java By: Lecturer Abebe A. (MSc, Computer Science)
for subtraction of two numbers, the method name must be subtraction(). A method is
invoked by its name.
4. Parameter List: It is the list of parameters separated by a comma and enclosed in the
pair of parentheses. It contains the data type and variable name. If the method has no
parameter, left the parentheses blank.
5. Method Body: It is a part of the method declaration. It contains all the actions to be
performed. It is enclosed within the pair of curly braces.
6. Naming a Method: While defining a method, remember that the method name must be
a verb and start with a lowercase letter. If the method name has more than two words,
the first name must be a verb followed by adjective or noun. In the multi-word method
name, the first letter of each word must be in uppercase except the first word. For
example:
Single-word method name: sum(), area()
Multi-word method name: areaOfCircle(), stringComparision()
It is also possible that a method has the same name as another method name in the same
class, it is known as method overloading.
Types of Method
There are two types of methods in Java:
o Predefined Method
o User-defined Method
Predefined Method
In Java, predefined methods are the method that is already defined in the Java class libraries
is known as predefined methods. It is also known as the standard library method or built-in
method. We can directly use these methods just by calling them in the program at any point.
Some pre-defined methods are length(), equals(), compareTo(), sqrt(), etc. When we call
any of the predefined methods in our program, a series of codes related to the corresponding
method runs in the background that is already stored in the library.
Each and every predefined method is defined inside a class. Such as print() method is
defined in the java.io.PrintStream class. It prints the statement that we write inside the
method. For example, print("Java"), it prints Java on the console.

Let's see an example of the predefined method.

Demo.java
public class Demo
{ Output:
public static void main(String[] args) The maximum number is: 9
{
// using the max() method of Math class
System.out.print("The maximum number is: " + Math.max(9,7));
}
}
In the above example, we have used three predefined methods main(), print(), and max().
We have used these methods directly without declaration because they are predefined. The
print() method is a method of PrintStream class that prints the result on the console. The
max() method is a method of the Math class that returns the greater of two numbers.

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Advanced Programming CH#5 – Methods in Java By: Lecturer Abebe A. (MSc, Computer Science)
In the above method signature, we see that the method
signature has access specifier public, non-access
modifier static, return type int, method
name max(), parameter list (int a, int b).
In the above example, instead of defining the method,
we have just invoked the method. This is the advantage
of a predefined method.
It makes programming less complicated. Similarly, we
can also see the method signature of the print() method.
User-defined Method
The method written by the user or programmer is known as a user-defined method. These
methods are modified according to the requirement.
How to Create a User-defined Method
Let's create a user defined method that checks the number is even or odd. First, we will
define the method.
//user defined method
public static void findEvenOdd(int num)
{
//method body
if(num%2==0)
System.out.println(num+" is even");
else
System.out.println(num+" is odd");
}
We have defined the above method named findevenodd(). It has a parameter num of type
int. The method does not return any value that's why we have used void. The method body
contains the steps to check the number is even or odd. If the number is even, it prints the
number is even, else prints the number is odd.
How to Call or Invoke a User-defined Method
Once we have defined a method, it should be called. The calling of a method in a program is
simple. When we call or invoke a user-defined method, the program control transfer to the
called method.
import java.util.Scanner;
public class EvenOdd
{
public static void main (String args[])
{
//creating Scanner class object
Scanner scan=new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.print("Enter the number: ");
//reading value from the user
int num=scan.nextInt();
//method calling
findEvenOdd(num);
}

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Advanced Programming CH#5 – Methods in Java By: Lecturer Abebe A. (MSc, Computer Science)
In the above code snippet, as soon as the compiler reaches at line findEvenOdd(num), the
control transfer to the method and gives the output accordingly. Let's combine both snippets
of codes in a single program and execute it.
EvenOdd.java
import java.util.Scanner;
public class EvenOdd
{
public static void main (String args[]) Output 1:
{ //creating Scanner class object Enter the number: 12
Scanner scan=new Scanner(System.in); 12 is even
System.out.print("Enter the number: "); Output 2:
//reading value from user Enter the number: 99
int num=scan.nextInt(); 99 is odd
//method calling
findEvenOdd(num);
} //user defined method
public static void findEvenOdd(int num)
{ //method body
if(num%2==0)
System.out.println(num+" is even");
else
System.out.println(num+" is odd");
}
}
Let's see another program that return a value to the calling method.
In the following program, we have defined a method named add() that sum up the two
numbers. It has two parameters n1 and n2 of integer type. The values of n1 and n2
correspond to the value of a and b, respectively. Therefore, the method adds the value of a
and b and store it in the variable s and returns the sum.
Addition.java
public class Addition
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{ Output:
int a = 19; The sum of a and b is= 24
int b = 5;
//method calling
int c = add(a, b); //a and b are actual parameters
System.out.println("The sum of a and b is= " + c);
}
//user defined method
public static int add(int n1, int n2) //n1 and n2 are formal parameters
{
int s;
s=n1+n2;
return s; //returning the sum
}
}
Static Method
A method that has static keyword is known as static method. In other words, a method that
belongs to a class rather than an instance of a class is known as a static method. We can
also create a static method by using the keyword static before the method name.

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Advanced Programming CH#5 – Methods in Java By: Lecturer Abebe A. (MSc, Computer Science)
The main advantage of a static method is that we can call it without creating an object. It can
access static data members and also change the value of it. It is used to create an instance
method. It is invoked by using the class name. The best example of a static method is
the main() method.
Example of static method
Display.java
public class Display
{ Output:
public static void main(String[] args) It is an example of a static method.
{
show();
}
static void show()
{
System.out.println("It is an example of static method.");
}
}
Instance Method
The method of the class is known as an instance method. It is a non-static method defined
in the class. Before calling or invoking the instance method, it is necessary to create an
object of its class. Let's see an example of an instance method.
InstanceMethodExample.java
public class InstanceMethodExample
{
public static void main(String [] args)
{
//Creating an object of the class
InstanceMethodExample obj = new InstanceMethodExample();
//invoking instance method
System.out.println("The sum is: "+obj.add(12, 13));
}
int s;
//user-defined method because we have not used static keyword
public int add(int a, int b)
{
s = a+b; Output:
//returning the sum The sum is: 25
return s;
}
}

Lab Exercises
5 Gambella University, Department of Computer Science Academic Year – 2015 E.C
Advanced Programming CH#5 – Methods in Java By: Lecturer Abebe A. (MSc, Computer Science)
1. Write a Java method to find the smallest number among three numbers.
Test Data:
Input the first number: 25
Input the Second number: 37
Input the third number: 29
Expected Output:
The smallest value is 25.0
2. Write a Java method to compute the average of three numbers.
Test Data:
Input the first number: 25
Input the second number: 45
Input the third number: 65
Expected Output:
The average value is 45.0
3. Write a Java method to display the middle character of a string.
Note: a) If the length of the string is odd there will be two middle characters.
b) If the length of the string is even there will be one middle character.
Test Data:
Input a string: 350
Expected Output:
The middle character in the string: 5
4. Write a Java method to count all vowels in a string.
Test Data:
Input the string: w3resource
Expected Output:
Number of Vowels in the string: 4
5. Write a Java method to count all words in a string.
Test Data:
Input the string: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Expected Output:
Number of words in the string: 9
6. Write a Java method to compute the sum of the digits in an integer.
Test Data:
Input an integer: 25
Expected Output:
The sum is 7
7. Write Java methods to calculate the area of a triangle.
Expected Output:
Input Side-1: 10
Input Side-2: 15
Input Side-3: 20
The area of the triangle is 72.6184377413890

6 Gambella University, Department of Computer Science Academic Year – 2015 E.C