Method References in Java with examples

Functional Interfaces in Java and Lambda Function are prerequisites

required in order to grasp grip over method references in Java. As we all
know that a method is a collection of statements that perform some specific
task and return the result to the caller. A method can perform some specific
task without returning anything. Methods allow us to reuse the code without
retyping the code. In this article, we will see how to use methods as value.
In Java 8 we can use the method as if they were objects or primitive
values, and we can treat them as a variable. The example shows the
function as a variable in java:
// This square function is a variable getSquare.
Function<Integer, Integer> getSquare = i -> i * i;
SomeFunction(a, b, getSquare);
// Pass function as a argument to other function easily
Sometimes, a lambda expression only calls an existing method. In those
cases, it looks clear to refer to the existing method by name. The method
references can do this, they are compact, easy-to-read as compared to
lambda expressions. A method reference is the shorthand syntax for a
lambda expression that contains just one method call. Here’s the general
syntax of a
Generic syntax: Method reference
A. To refer to a method in an object
Object :: methodName
B. To print all elements in a list
Following is an illustration of a lambda expression that just calls a single
method in its entire execution:
list.forEach(s -> System.out.println(s));
C. Shorthand to print all elements in a list
To make the code clear and compact, In the above example, one can turn
lambda expression into a method reference:
list.forEach(System.out::println);
The method references can only be used to replace a single method of the
lambda expression. A code is more clear and short if one uses a lambda
expression rather than using an anonymous class and one can use method
reference rather than using a single function lambda expression to achieve
the same. In general, one doesn’t have to pass arguments to method
references.
The following example is about performing some operations on elements in
the list and adding them. The operation to be performed on elements is a
function argument and the caller can pass accordingly.
Illustration:
public int transformAndAdd(List<Integer> l,
Function<Integer, Integer> ops) {
int result = 0;
for (Integer s : l)
result += f.apply(s);

return results;
}

// Operations utility class

class OpsUtil {

// Method 1
// To half the variable
public static Integer doHalf(Integer x) {
return x / 2;
}

// Method 2
// Square up the integer number
public static Integer doSquare(Integer x) {

return x * x;
}

... many more operations...

}
 Following are the ways to call the above method as depicted below as
follows:
List<Integer> list = new ArrayList<>();
// Add some element to list
...
// Using an anonymous class
transformAndAdd(list, new Function<Integer, Integer>() {
public Integer apply(Integer i) {
// The method
return OpsUtil.doHalf(i);
}
});

// Using a lambda expression

tranformAndAdd(list, i -> OpsUtil.doHalf(i));

// Using a method reference

tranformAndAdd(list, OpsUtil::doHalf);

Types of Method References

There are four type method references that are as follows:
1. Static Method Reference.
2. Instance Method Reference of a particular object.
3. Instance Method Reference of an arbitrary object of a particular type.
4. Constructor Reference.
To look into all these types we will consider a common example of sorting
with a comparator which is as follows:

Type 1: Reference to a static method

If a Lambda expression is like:

// If a lambda expression just call a static method of a class
(args) -> Class.staticMethod(args)
Then method reference is like:
// Shorthand if a lambda expression just call a static method of a class
Class::staticMethod
Example:
● Java
// Java Program to Illustrate How One can use

// Static method reference

// To Sort with Custom Comparator

// Importing required classes

import java.io.*;

import java.util.*;

// Class 1

// Helper class

// Object need to be sorted

class Person {

private String name;

private Integer age;

// Constructor

public Person(String name, int age)

// This keyword refers to current instance itself

 this.name = name;

this.age = age;

// Getter-setters

public Integer getAge() { return age; }

public String getName() { return name; }

// Class 2

// Main class

public class GFG {

// Method 1

// Static method to compare with name

public static int compareByName(Person a, Person b)

return a.getName().compareTo(b.getName());

// Method 2
// Static method to compare with age

public static int compareByAge(Person a, Person b)

return a.getAge().compareTo(b.getAge());

// Method 3

// Main driver method

public static void main(String[] args)

// Creating an empty ArrayList of user-defined type

// List of person

List<Person> personList = new ArrayList<>();

// Adding elements to above List

// using add() method

personList.add(new Person("vicky", 24));

personList.add(new Person("poonam", 25));

personList.add(new Person("sachin", 19));

// Using static method reference to

// sort array by name

Collections.sort(personList, GFG::compareByName);

// Display message only

System.out.println("Sort by name :");

// Using streams over above object of Person type

personList.stream()

.map(x -> x.getName())

.forEach(System.out::println);

// Now using static method reference

// to sort array by age

Collections.sort(personList, GFG::compareByAge);

// Display message only

System.out.println("Sort by age :");

// Using streams over above object of Person type

personList.stream()
 .map(x -> x.getName())

.forEach(System.out::println);

Output:
Sort by name :
poonam
sachin
vicky
Sort by age :
sachin
vicky
poonam

Type 2: Reference to an instance method of a particular object

If a Lambda expression is like:
// If a lambda expression just call a default method of an object
(args) -> obj.instanceMethod(args)
Then method reference is like:
// Shorthand if a lambda expression just call a default method of an object
obj::instanceMethod
Example:
● Java

// Java Program to Illustrate How One can use

// Static method reference

// To Sort with Custom Comparator

// But using object method reference

// Importing required classes

import java.io.*;

import java.util.*;

// Class 1

// Helper class

// Object need to be sorted

class Person {

// Attributes of a person

private String name;

private Integer age;

// Constructor

public Person(String name, int age)

// This keyword refers to current object itself

this.name = name;

this.age = age;
 }

// Getter-setter methods

public Integer getAge() { return age; }

public String getName() { return name; }

// Class 2

// Helper class

// Comparator class

class ComparisonProvider {

// Method 1

// To compare with name

public int compareByName(Person a, Person b)

return a.getName().compareTo(b.getName());

// Method 2

// To compare with age

 public int compareByAge(Person a, Person b)

return a.getAge().compareTo(b.getAge());

// Class 3

// Main class

public class GFG {

// Main driver method

public static void main(String[] args)

// Creating an empty ArrayList of user-defined type

// List of person

List<Person> personList = new ArrayList<>();

// Adding elements to above object

// using add() method

personList.add(new Person("vicky", 24));

personList.add(new Person("poonam", 25));

personList.add(new Person("sachin", 19));

// A comparator class with multiple

// comparator methods

ComparisonProvider comparator

= new ComparisonProvider();

// Now using instance method reference

// to sort array by name

Collections.sort(personList,

comparator::compareByName);

// Display message only

System.out.println("Sort by name :");

// Using streams

personList.stream()

.map(x -> x.getName())

.forEach(System.out::println);

// Using instance method reference

 // to sort array by age

Collections.sort(personList,

comparator::compareByAge);

// Display message only

System.out.println("Sort by age :");

personList.stream()

.map(x -> x.getName())

.forEach(System.out::println);

Output:
Sort by name :
poonam
sachin
vicky
Sort by age :
sachin
vicky
poonam

Type 3: Reference to an instance method of an arbitrary object of a

particular type
If a Lambda expression is like:
// If a lambda expression just call an instance method of a ObjectType
 (obj, args) -> obj.instanceMethod(args)
Then method reference is like:
// Shorthand if a lambda expression just call an instance method of a
ObjectType
ObjectType::instanceMethod
Example:
● Java

// Java Program to Illustrate how One can use

// Instance type method reference to

// sort with custom comparator

// Importing required classes

import java.io.*;

import java.util.*;

// Main class

public class GFG {

// Main driver method

public static void main(String[] args)

// Creating an empty ArrayList of user defined type

 // List of person

List<String> personList = new ArrayList<>();

// Adding elements to above object of List

// using add() method

personList.add("vicky");

personList.add("poonam");

personList.add("sachin");

// Method reference to String type

Collections.sort(personList,

String::compareToIgnoreCase);

// Printing the elements(names) on console

personList.forEach(System.out::println);

Output:
poonam
sachin
vicky

Type 4: Constructor method reference

If a Lambda expression is like:
 // If a lambda expression just create an object
(args) -> new ClassName(args)
Then method reference is like:
// Shorthand if a lambda expression just create an object
ClassName::new
Example:
● Java

// Java Program to Illustrate How We can Use

// constructor method reference

// Importing required classes

import java.io.*;

import java.nio.charset.Charset;

import java.util.*;

import java.util.function.*;

// Object need to be sorted

class Person {

private String name;

private Integer age;

// Constructor
public Person()

Random ran = new Random();

// Assigning a random value

// to name

this.name

= ran

.ints(97, 122 + 1)

.limit(7)

.collect(StringBuilder::new,

StringBuilder::appendCodePoint,

StringBuilder::append)

.toString();

public Integer getAge()

return age;

public String getName()

 {

return name;

public class GFG {

// Get List of objects of given

// length and Supplier

public static <T> List<T>

getObjectList(int length,

Supplier<T> objectSupply)

List<T> list = new ArrayList<>();

for (int i = 0; i < length; i++)

list.add(objectSupply.get());

return list;

public static void main(String[] args)

 {

// Get 10 person by supplying

// person supplier, Supplier is

// created by person constructor

// reference

List<Person> personList

= getObjectList(5, Person::new);

// Print names of personList

personList.stream()

.map(x -> x.getName())

.forEach(System.out::println);

Output:
vzskgmu
iupltfx
kocsipj
lyvhxsp
hbdphyv