java chapter 3
invoke
to call or execute a method.
calling method
a term used to describe the relationship between two methods; a method that invokes another.
called method
a term used to describe the relationship between two methods; a method that is invoked by another.
abstraction
the programming feature that allows a method name to encapsulate multiple statements.
method declaration
another name for a method header.
method body
the set of statements between curly braces that follow the method header and carry out the method’s actions.
implementation
the actions that execute within a method; the method body.
stub
a method that contains no statements; programmers create stubs as temporary placeholders during the program development process.
access modifier
defines the circumstances under which a class can be accessed; often used interchangeably with access specifier.
return type
the type of data that, upon completion of a method, is sent back to its calling method.
return a value
to send a data value from a called method back to the calling method.
fully qualified identifier
describes a filename that includes the entire hierarchy in which a class is stored.
parameter
a data item received by a method.
implementation hiding
a principle of object-oriented programming that describes the encapsulation of method details within a class.
interface to a method
describes the part of a method that a client sees and uses; includes the method’s return type, name, and arguments.
black box
a device that can be used solely in terms of input and output without regard to how it works internally.
local variable
a variable known only within the boundaries of a method.
signature
a method’s name and the number, types, and order of arguments.
actual parameter
an argument in a method call. Contrast with formal parameter.
formal parameter
a variable in a method declaration that accept the values from actual parameters. Contrast with actual parameter.
return statement
a statement that ends a method and frequently sends a value from a called method back to the calling method.
method’s type
the method’s return type.
unreachable statements
statements that cannot be executed because the logical path can never encounter them; in some languages, including Java, an unreachable statement causes a compiler error. See also dead code.
dead code
statements that cannot be executed because the logical path can never encounter them; in some languages, including Java, an unreachable statement causes a compiler error. Also called unreachable statements.
outer block
a block that contains a nested block.
inner block
a block contained in an outer block.
nested
describes the relationship of statements, blocks, or classes when one contains the other.
comes into scope
describes what happens to a variable when it is declared. Contrast with goes out of scope.
goes out of scope
describes what happens to a variable at the end of the block in which it is declared. Contrast with comes into scope.
scope level
in Java, a variable’s block. See also scope.
redeclare a variable
to attempt to declare a variable twice—an illegal action.
Overloading
describes using one term to indicate diverse meanings, or writing multiple methods with the same name but with different arguments.
ambiguous
describes a situation in which the compiler cannot determine which method to use.