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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Splitting out code into name blocks for clarity and reusability

When you first write code - "a program" - there's a big temptation to start at the top and write on down to the bottom, putting all the code more or less sequentially in your program's source file. In the case of Java, which I was teaching last week, that would have meant within the main method (we use the name "method" for a named block of code in Java).

It's all right to start off by following that temptation to some extend, but the code soon gets long and hard to follow, and design patterns / algorithms which you employ / implement aren't easily re-used as you ed up buiding something in which all the parts run into each other, rather than comprisng a series of individual parts each of which plugs nicely into those around it through an undertandable, defined, easy to test API (Application Programmer Interface) ... which also has the bonus that it can be reused gain later on without duplicating code.

Let me show you what I mean. Here's a piece of code as I'm recommending you write it:

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    BufferedReader standard = openKeyboard();
    float first = askAndGet(standard,"Please give me first number");
    float second = askAndGet(standard,"Please give me second number");
    float total = first + second;
    System.out.println("Adding up, I got " + total);
  }


Even if you're an experienced Java programmer, you won't recognise functions such as openKeyboard and askAndGet - they're not standard Java functions. You will, however, recognise the Java syntax and you'll be able to take a pretty good guess at what those two missing methods do.

And you'll find those methods later in the code ...

• Originally, the methods were written as a part of the main method but as the separation of functionalliy became clear during development, I separated them out

• By having a separate main and helper methods, I can run the whole class as a standalone program,and without any alteration at all I can also use the functionallity of opening the keyboard connection, and of prompting and reading a floating number, from within other programs.

Source code of complete examples - [here]
(written 2014-11-30)

 
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
J710 - Java - Extending Classes and More
  [656] Think about your design even if you don't use full UML - (2006-03-24)
  [831] Comparison of Object Oriented Philosophy - Python, Java, C++, Perl - (2006-08-13)
  [1066] Final, Finally and Finalize - three special words in Java - (2007-02-05)
  [1217] What are factory and singleton classes? - (2007-06-04)
  [1294] An example of Java Inheritance from scratch - (2007-08-00)
  [1501] Java - using super to call a method in the parent class - (2008-01-10)
  [1538] Teaching Object Oriented Java with Students and Ice Cream - (2008-02-12)
  [1556] Java - a demonstration of inheritance on just one page - (2008-02-26)
  [1819] Calling base class constructors - (2008-10-03)
  [2185] Abstract Classes - Java - (2009-05-16)
  [2434] Abstract classes, Interfaces, PHP and Java - (2009-10-03)
  [2604] Tips for writing a test program (Ruby / Python / Java) - (2010-01-29)
  [2860] What methods are available on this Java object? - (2010-07-08)
  [3047] What is a universal superclass? Java / Perl / Python / Other OO languages - (2010-11-13)
  [4366] Changing what operators do on objects - a comparison across different programming languages - (2014-12-26)
  [4394] Philosophy behind object design - and how I applied in to a Java example - (2015-01-14)
  [4419] Java Inheritance example - group of classes - step by step - (2015-02-08)
  [4422] Objects - from physical to virtual or abstract - Java - (2015-02-10)


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Learning to program sample program - past its prime, but still useful
Test Driven Development - a first example of principle in C
Flexible public courses - residential or commuting, programming newcomer or experienced, C or C++
Splitting out code into name blocks for clarity and reusability
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First Java Application - calculating the weight of a tablecloth
Musings on a Welsh town
Java - factory method, encapsulation, hashmap example
Does Santa Claus need a CRB check?
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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