In Java, a method is a block of code that performs a specific task when called. It can be thought of as a way to achieve code reusability, as a method can be defined once and used multiple times. Methods can be used to break a complex program into smaller chunks of code, which can increase code readability.
A method must be declared within a class and is defined with the name of the method, followed by parentheses (). Java provides some pre-defined methods, such as System.out.println(), but you can also create your own methods to perform certain actions. A method can take parameters, which are values that can be passed into the method when it is called.
The syntax for declaring a method is:
returnType methodName() {
// method body
}
The returnType
specifies the type of value that the method returns, and the methodName
is the name of the method. The method body contains the code that is executed when the method is called.
When a program invokes a method, the program control gets transferred to the called method. This called method then returns control to the caller when the return statement is executed or when it reaches the method ending closing brace.
Overall, methods in Java are a powerful and popular aspect of Java programming that allow for code reusability, code optimization, and improved performance.