Java Methods

• 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. In this section, we will
learn what is a method in Java, types of methods, method declaration, and how to call a method in Java.

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 What is a method in Java?

• 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 to write 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.

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 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.

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 Method Declaration

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 Method Declaration

• Method Signature: Every method has a method signature. It is a part of the method declaration. It includes
the method name and parameter list.

• 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:
 Public: The method is accessible by all classes when we use public specifier in our application.

 Private: the method is accessible only in the classes in which it is defined.

Protected: the method is accessible within the same package or subclasses in a different package.

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.

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 Method Declaration

• 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.

• 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 for subtraction of two numbers, the
method name must be subtraction(). A method is invoked by its name.

• 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.

• 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.

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 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.

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 Types of Method

• There are two types of methods in Java:

 Predefined Method

 User-defined Method

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 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.

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 Predefined Method

• Example:

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 Predefined Method

• 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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 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.

• Example:

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 User-defined Method

• 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.

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 User-defined Method

How to Call or Invoke a User-defined Method

 Once we have defined a method, it should be called. When we call or invoke a user-
defined method, the program control transfer to the called method.

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 User-defined Method

How to Call or Invoke a User-defined Method

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 User-defined Method

How to Call or Invoke a User-defined Method

 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.

• Addition.java

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 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.

• 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.

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 Static Method

• Example of static method

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 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

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