How to Write a Method in Java

Java is the most popular programming language, primarily because of its portability. The same Java program can be used on virtually any platform because the source is compiled to byte code. Each machine then converts the byte code into native machine language. Java syntax will be generally familiar to C++ programmers and functions are written similarly. The following steps will show how to write a method in Java.

Instructions

1. Learn the basic syntax of a Java function:

   () {
   
   }

2. Specify the data type of the return value for where you see . The method body may return a value to the calling program using the return statement. Use void for the return type if no value will be returned.

3. Provide the method name after the return type. The signature of the method must be unique within that scope. The signature of the method is the combination of its name and parameter types.

4. List the parameters in the parameter list. This list consists of a series of data types and parameter names separated by commas. The parameter list is optional. The method body is a series of Java statements enclosed by braces.

5. Look at the following example of a Java method that finds the product of two integers:

   int product(int a, int b) {
   int c=a*b;
   return c;
   }

   Notice how the return type is int and the method name is product. This method has a parameter list consisting of two integers. The method body multiplies the two input parameters together and returns the product.

Resources

• Learn more about writing java programs.