What is method declaration in Java?

Answer 1

A method declaration is the heading of a method containing the name of the method, its parameters, and its access level. The method heading in Java is organized as such:

[access keywords] [return type] [method name] ( [parameters separated by commas] )

for instance:

public String toString(); is public (accessible by any class), returns a String, is called toString, and takes no parameters.

Other features could be added to the method declaration for a more specialized method such as static (method could be called without an object of that class), native (implemented using the native code, usually what C has already done, i.e. square root, power etc.).

Answer 2

The signature of a method is a combination of method name and parameters which can uniquely identify a method. The signature may also include the package and class to which the method belongs.

The access modifiers, return types, and other modifiers of a method may also be included as part of the signature.

Answer 3

Here is an example of a method declaration (his particular method is to makea java file executable)

public static void main (String args[]) { //method starts here

//Code goes here

} //method ends here

Here's a breakdown of the declaration:-

Public - Required. Defines which other classes / methods can access this method; can be public (accessible by all), private (only code in this class can call this method) and protected (A mix of the two)

Static - Same as making a variable static. This is optional.

void - Required. The return variable. Void means that no data is returned to the statement that called this method. int is for an integer return (if the method performs a calculation and passes the answer back, for example), String is for sending a String back, boolean is if this method determines a true or false condition, etc...

If there is a return type, the Return Var; command must be used within the method, where Var is a variable of the same type as the return type.

main - the name of the method

(String args[]) - The parameters passed to this method; basically, whichever variables you want it to do something with. As with the return value, this can be of any variable type, e.g. int, char, object etc...

Here's a quick example of a method that adds two numbers together and returns the answer:

public int addition (int x, int y) {

int answer = x + y;

return answer;

} //end addition

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Declaring a method means - creating a method but with only the method declaration and no method definition. That is, the method will not contain any code or logic inside it.

Ex:

public String getName(){}

The above is a method declaration.