From the course: Java Cheat Codes: Most Popular Functions

Classes and methods - Java Tutorial

From the course: Java Cheat Codes: Most Popular Functions

Start my 1-month free trial Buy for my team

Classes and methods

“

- [Instructor] Classes and Methods. If you're here to learn the most popular Java methods used, then you probably already know what a Java class is. Here's a quick refresher of classes and methods in Java and their relationship. For classes, classes are the blueprints for creating objects. They define the properties, which the data, and behavior are the methods that objects of that type will have. Classes also have encapsulation. Classes bundle data and related methods together, promoting modularity and information hiding. For example, a car class might have properties like make, model, color, and methods like start engine, accelerate, and brake. And then we have methods. Methods are self-contained blocks of code. They perform specific tasks or actions within a program. This method, which is one line of code, contains a block of code within it. For reusability, methods can be called multiple times from different parts of the program, reducing code redundancy. And then we have modularity, breaking down code into methods make it easier to understand, test, and maintain. For example, the calculate area method might take the length and width of a rectangle as inputs and return its area. Let's talk about the relationship between classes and methods. Methods reside within classes. They're defined inside a class. Defining the behavior of a object of that class. Objects can call methods. When you create an object from a class, you can use that object to call its method, causing those actions to happen. And methods operate on object data. Methods often access and manipulate the object's data or properties to perform their task. For example, the car class defines the properties and methods of car objects. So for this car, we have the make, model, and year, and then the start engine, accelerate, and brake methods are actions that car objects can perform. To use these methods, you would create a car object and then call the objects on that object, as you can see in the example code here. The key takeaways for classes and methods is that classes provide the structure for objects defining the characteristics and capabilities. Methods define the actions that objects can perform. Methods are essential components of classes, enabling objects to act and interact. And well designed classes with meaningful methods lead to well organized, reusable, and maintainable code.

Contents