Skip to content

Method Definition

A method is a section of code inside a class that allows us to tell the code to do something.

There are several parts to a method. The ones we will focus on now are the method name and method body.

A method has a name, which you use in your program to execute statements. * A method name is always followed by a pair of parentheses.

The method body is a set of curly braces containing the statements to execute.

public static void methodName() {
  // this is a method body

  // statements to execute...
}

All methods are defined inside a class's curly braces.

public class MyClass {

  public static void methodName() {
    // this is a method body

    // statements to execute...
  }

  // ...
}

The class below declares a method named printManyAsterisks.

public class PrintAsterisks {
  public static void printManyAsterisks() {
    System.out.println("****************");
    System.out.println("********");
    System.out.println("***");
  }
}

declare

Writing the method in your class, giving it a name and a method body.

When a program uses, or calls the printManyAsterisks method, three lines of * are printed to the screen.

call

Using the method in your class, referring to it by its name.


Prev -- Up -- Next