Java Programming for Android Developers For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7

Though These Be Methods, Yet There Is Madness in't

IN THIS CHAPTER

Matching Java types

Calling methods effectively

Understanding method parameters

In Chapter 4, I compare a method declaration to a recipe for scrambled eggs. In this chapter, I compute the tax and tip for a meal in a restaurant. And in Chapter 9 (spoiler alert!), I compare a Java class to the inventory in a cheese emporium. These comparisons aren't far-fetched. A method's declaration is a lot like a recipe, and a Java class bears some resemblance to a blank inventory sheet. But instead of thinking about methods, recipes, and Java classes, you might be reading between the lines. You might be wondering why I use so many food metaphors.

The truth is, my preoccupation with food is a recent development. Like most men my age, I've been told that I should shed my bad habits, lose a few pounds, exercise regularly, and find ways to reduce the stress in my life. (I've argued to my Wiley editors that submission deadlines are a source of stress, but so far the editors aren't buying a word of it. I guess I don't blame them.)

Above all, I've been told to adopt a healthy diet: Skip the chocolate, the cheeseburgers, the ...