Java Methods

A method is a block of code which only runs when it is called.

You can pass data, known as parameters, into a method.

Methods are used to perform certain actions, and they are also known as functions.

Why use methods? To reuse code: define the code once, and use it many times.

Create a Method

A method must be declared within a class. It is defined with the name of the method, followed by parentheses (). Java provides some pre-defined methods, such as System.out.println(), but you can also create your own methods to perform certain actions:

Syntax

static void myMethod() {
  // code to be executed
}

static void myMethod() {
  // code to be executed
}

Example

static void myMethod() {
  System.out.println("I just got executed!");
}

static void myMethod() {
  System.out.println("I just got executed!");
}

Call a Method

To call a method in Java, write the method's name followed by two parentheses () and a semicolon;

Example

public class MyClass {
  static void myMethod() {
    System.out.println("I just got executed!");
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    myMethod();
  }
}

public class MyClass {
  static void myMethod() {
    System.out.println("I just got executed!");
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    myMethod();
  }
}

Parameters and Arguments

Information can be passed to methods as parameter. Parameters act as variables inside the method.

Parameters are specified after the method name, inside the parentheses. You can add as many parameters as you want, just separate them with a comma.

The following example has a method that takes a String called fname as parameter. When the method is called, we pass along a first name, which is used inside the method to print the full name:

Example

public class MyClass {
  static void myMethod(String fname) {
    System.out.println(fname + " Refsnes");
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    myMethod("Liam");
    myMethod("Jenny");
    myMethod("Anja");
  }
}

public class MyClass {
  static void myMethod(String fname) {
    System.out.println(fname + " Refsnes");
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    myMethod("Liam");
    myMethod("Jenny");
    myMethod("Anja");
  }
}

Multiple Parameters

You can have as many parameters as you like:

Example

public class MyClass {
  static void myMethod(String fname, int age) {
    System.out.println(fname + " is " + age);
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    myMethod("Liam", 5);
    myMethod("Jenny", 8);
    myMethod("Anja", 31);
  }
}

public class MyClass {
  static void myMethod(String fname, int age) {
    System.out.println(fname + " is " + age);
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    myMethod("Liam", 5);
    myMethod("Jenny", 8);
    myMethod("Anja", 31);
  }
}

Return Values

The void keyword, used in the examples above, indicates that the method should not return a value. If you want the method to return a value, you can use a primitive data type (such as int, char, etc.) instead of void, and use the return keyword inside the method:

Example

public class MyClass {
  static int myMethod(int x) {
    return 5 + x;
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    System.out.println(myMethod(3));
  }
}

public class MyClass {
  static int myMethod(int x) {
    return 5 + x;
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    System.out.println(myMethod(3));
  }
}

Method Overloading

With method overloading, multiple methods can have the same name with different parameters:

Example

public class MyClass {
  static int plusMethod(int x, int y) {
    return x + y;
  }

  static double plusMethod(double x, double y) {
    return x + y;
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    int myNum1 = plusMethod(8, 5);
    double myNum2 = plusMethod(4.3, 6.26);
    System.out.println("int: " + myNum1);
    System.out.println("double: " + myNum2);
  }
}

public class MyClass {
  static int plusMethod(int x, int y) {
    return x + y;
  }

  static double plusMethod(double x, double y) {
    return x + y;
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    int myNum1 = plusMethod(8, 5);
    double myNum2 = plusMethod(4.3, 6.26);
    System.out.println("int: " + myNum1);
    System.out.println("double: " + myNum2);
  }
}

Recursion

Java supports recursion, which is the process of a method calling itself.

Recursion should be used sparingly. If a method calls itself recursively without terminating, a stack overflow error occurs.

Example

public class MyClass {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    int result = sum(10);
    System.out.println(result);
  }

  public static int sum(int k) {
    if (k > 0) {
      return k + sum(k - 1);
    } else {
      return 0;
    }
  }
}

public class MyClass {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    int result = sum(10);
    System.out.println(result);
  }

  public static int sum(int k) {
    if (k > 0) {
      return k + sum(k - 1);
    } else {
      return 0;
    }
  }
}