Question

My name’s Ali, I have just started two units of study with the Open University, so I am entirely fresh-faced to Java. I am trying to get the following code to compile but the lack of support i’m getting from my tutor is horrendous and the several books I have splayed out across my room aren’t helping me get going.

I have been given a method that I wish to answer some questions about:

public char[] methodA()
{
    char[] alphas = {'s', 't', 'e', 'a', 'm'};
    char temp = alphas[0];
    int i = 0;

    while (i < alphas.length - 1)//1
    {
        alphas[i] = alphas[i+1]; //2
        i++;
    }

    alphas[alphas.length-1]=temp;

    return alphas;
}

How do I get this to compile successfully using my IDE? I have tried just enclosing it within the syntax for my ‘main’ method but it’s not accepting it.

Here is what I have at the moment:

package openuniversity;

public class Main
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        public static char[] methodA()
        {   
            char[] alphas = {'s', 't', 'e', 'a', 'm'};
            char temp = alphas[0];
            int i = 0;

            while (i < alphas.length - 1)//1
            {
                alphas[i] = alphas[i+1]; //2
                i++;
            }

            alphas[alphas.length-1]=temp;

            return alphas;
        }
    }
}

Thanks to anyone who can help.
Ali

Answer 1

All methods must be enclosed within a class. If your IDE has already generated that for you, then you should be able to make it a sibling of your main method, as follows:

public class Foo {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Your main method code goes here
    }

    public char[] methodA() {
        char[] alphas = {'s', 't', 'e', 'a', 'm'};
        char temp = alphas[0];
        int i = 0;

        while (i < alphas.length - 1)//1
        {
            alphas[i] = alphas[i+1]; //2
            i++;
        }

        alphas[alphas.length-1]=temp;
        return alphas;
    }
}

If you wish to call methodA from your main method, you will either need to:

• Create a new object of type Foo (by saying Foo x = new Foo())
  then invoke the method on the object you create (by saying
  x.methodA())
• Change methodA to be static, by changing its signature to public
static char[] methodA(), then invoke the method statically (by saying Foo.methodA())