Starting out with Visual C#

Fourth Edition

Chapter 6
Modularizing Your Code
with Methods

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Topics
6.1 Introduction to Methods
6.2 void Methods
6.3 Passing Arguments to Methods
6.4 Passing Arguments by Reference
6.5 Value-Returning Methods
6.6 Debugging Methods

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6.1 Introduction to Methods
• Methods can be used to break a complex program into small,
manageable pieces
– This approach is known as divide and conquer
– In general terms, breaking down a program to smaller units
of code, such as methods, is known as modularization
• Two types of methods are:
– A void method simply executes a group of statements and
then terminates
– A value-returning method returns a value to the statement
that called it

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Example (1 of 2)
Using one long sequence of statement to perform a task

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Example (2 of 2)
Using methods to divide and conquer a problem

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6.2 Void Methods
• A void method simply executes the statement it contains and
then terminates. It does not return any value to the statement
that called it
• To create a method you write its definitions
• A method definition has two parts:
– header: the method header appears at the beginning of a
method definition to indicate access mode, return type, and
method name
– body: the method body is a collection of statements that
are performed when the method is executed

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The Method Header (1 of 2)
• The book separates a method header into four parts :
– Access modifier: keywords that defines the access control
▪ private: a private method can be called only by code inside the
same class as the method
▪ public: a public method can be called by code that is outside the
class.
– Return type: specifies whether or not a method returns a value
– Method name: the identifier of the method; must be unique in a given
program. This book uses Pascal case (aka camelCase)
– Parentheses: A method's name is always followed by a pair of
parentheses

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The Method Header (2 of 2)

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Declaring Method Inside a Class (1 of 2)
• Methods usually belong to a class
• All Visual C# methods typically belong to applications' default
Form1 class
• In this book, methods are created inside the Form1 class

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Declaring Method Inside a Class (2 of 2)

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Calling a Method (1 of 2)
• A method executes when it is called
• Event handlers are called when specific events take place. Yet,
methods are executed by method call statements.
• A method call statement is the name of the method followed by
a pair of parentheses. For example:

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Calling a Method (2 of 2)

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Concept of Return Point
• When calling a method the system needs to know where the
program should return after the method ends
• The system saves the memory address of the location called
return point to which it should return
• The system jumps to the method and executes the statements in
its body
• When the method ends, the system jumps back to the return
point and resumes execution

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Top-Down Design
• To modularize a program, programmers commonly use a technique
known as top-down design
• It breaks down an algorithm to methods
• The process is performed in the following manner:
– The overall task that the program is to perform is broken down
into a series of subtasks
– Each subtask is examined to determine whether it can be further
broken down into more subtasks. This step is repeated until no
more subtasks can be identified
– Once all the subtasks have been identified, they are written in
code

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6.3 Passing Arguments to Methods
• An argument is any piece of data that is passed into a method when the method is
called
– In the following, the statement calls the MessageBox.Show method and
passes the string “Hello” as an argument:

• A parameter is a variable that receives an argument that is passed into a method

– In the following, value is an int parameter:

– An example of a call to DisplayValue method with 5 as parameter is:

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Contents of Variables as Arguments
• You can pass the contents of variables as arguments. For example,

• value is an int parameter in the DisplayValue method

• In this example, x is an int variable with the value 5. Its contents are
passed as argument.

• The expression X * 4 also produces an int result, which can be

passed as an argument

• Another example is:

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Argument and Parameter Data Type
Compatibility
• An argument’s data type must be assignment compatible with the receiving
parameter's data type
• Basically,
– You can pass only string arguments into string parameters
– You can pass int arguments into int parameters, but you cannot pass
double or decimal arguments into int parameters
– You can pass either double or int arguments to double parameters,
but you cannot pass decimal values to double parameters
– You can pass either decimal or int arguments to decimal
parameters, but you cannot pass double arguments into decimal
parameters

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Passing Multiple Arguments
• You can pass more than one argument to a method

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Named Arguments
• This C# allows you to specify which parameter an argument should be
passed into. The syntax is:

• An argument that is written using this syntax is known as a named

argument

• Notice that you get the same result if the call statement is:

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Default Arguments
• This C# allows you to provide a default argument for a method parameter

• The value of taxRate is defaulted to 0.07m. You can simply call the
method by passing only the price

• You can also override the default argument

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6.4 Passing Arguments by Reference (1 of 2)
• A reference parameter is a special type of parameter that does not receive
a copy of the argument’s value
• It becomes a reference to the argument that was passed into it
• When an argument is passed by reference to a method, the method can
change the value of the argument in the calling part of the program
• In
C#, you declare a reference parameter by writing the ref keyword
before the parameter variable's data type

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6.4 Passing Arguments by Reference (2 of 2)
• To call a method that has a reference parameter, you also use the
keyword ref before the argument

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Using Output Parameters (1 of 2)
• An output parameter works like a reference parameter with the following
differences:
– An argument does not have to be a value before it is passed into an
output parameter
– A method that has an output parameter must be the output parameter to
some value before it finishes executing
• In C#, you declare an output parameter by writing the out keyword before
the parameter variable’s data type

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Using Output Parameters (2 of 2)
• To call a method that has a output parameter, you also use the
keyword out before the argument

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6.5 Value-Returning Methods
• A value-returning method is a method that returns a value to the part of the
program that called it
• A value-returning method is like a void method in the following ways:
– It contains a group of statements that performs a specific task
– When you want to execute the method, you call it
• The .NET Framework provide many value-returning methods, for example,
the int.Parse method that accepts a string and returns an int value

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Write Your Own Value-Returning
Functions
• In C# the generic format is:

• AccessModifier: private or public

• DataType: int, double, decimal, string, bool, etc.

• MethodName: the identifier of the method; must be unique in a program

• ParameterList: an optional list of parameter

• Expression: can be any value, variable, or expression that has a value

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The return Statement
• There must be a return statement inside the method which is
usually the last statement of the method. This return statement is used
to return a value to the statement that called the method. For
example:

• Notice that the returned value and the method’s type must match
– In the above example, the method is an int method, so it can
only return int value

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Sample Code

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Returning Values to Variables
• A value-returning method returns a value with specific type.
However, the method no longer keeps the value once it is returned.
• You can declare a variable to hold the returned value to use the value
over and over again

• After execution, the value is kept in combinedAge variable

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Boolean Methods (1 of 2)
• A Boolean method returns either true or false. You can use
a Boolean method to test a condition

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Boolean Methods (2 of 2)
• With this code, an int value assigned to the number
parameter will be evaluated by the if statement
• The return statement will return either true or false

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Using the Modulus Operator in Boolean
Expressions
• The book discusses the use of modulus operator to determine whether a
whole number is odd or even
number % 2
• The modulus operator is a useful tool to write Boolean expression
– The expression number % 2 has only two possible values: 0 or 1

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Returning a String from a Method
• string is a primitive data type. A C# value-returning method can
return a string to the statement that called it. For example,

• A sample statement to call it is:

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6.6 Debugging Methods (1 of 4)
• The Step Into command allows you to single-step through a
called method.
• Execute the Step Into command in any of the following ways:
– Press the F11 key
– Select Debug from the menu bar, and then select Step Into
from the Debug menu

– Click the Step Into button on the Debug Toolbar, if

the toolbar is visible
• Tutorial 6-6 demonstrates the Step Into command.
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6.6 Debugging Methods (2 of 4)
• The Step Over command allows you to call a method without
single-stepping through its statements.
• Execute the Step Over command in any of the following ways:
– Press the F10 key
– Select Debug from the menu bar, and then select Step
Over from the Debug menu

– Click the Step Over button on the Debug Toolbar, if

the toolbar is visible
• Tutorial 6-7 demonstrates the Step Over command.

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6.6 Debugging Methods (3 of 4)
• When single-stepping through a method, the Step Out command
causes the rest of the method's statements to execute without single-
stepping.
• Execute the Step Out command in any of the following ways:
– Press the Shift+F11 keys
– Select Debug from the menu bar, and then select Step Out from
the Debug menu
– Click the Step Out button on the Debug Toolbar, if the
toolbar is visible

• Tutorial 6-8 demonstrates the Step Out command.

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6.6 Debugging Methods (4 of 4)
• Visual Studio can be configured in different ways.
– Under some configurations, the Step Into command from
the Debug menu might be activated by the F8 function key.
– Under some configurations, the Step Over command may
be activated by the Shift + F8 keys.
– Under some configurations, the Step Out command might
be activated by the Ctrl + Shift + F8 keys.
• To find out which keys are used, look carefully at these
commands when you click on the Debug menu.

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Copyright

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