| A | B |
|---|
| abstract data type | a type whose implementation is hidden and accessed through its public methods |
| abstraction | the programming feature that allows you to use a method name to encapsulate a series of statements |
| access modifier | sometimes used as another term for access specifier |
| accessor methods | methods that retreive values |
| actual parameters | the arguments in a method call |
| arguments | data items sent to methods in a method call |
| black box | a device you can use without understanding how it works |
| call | to execute a method |
| calling method | a method that makes a method call; the calling method invokes the called method |
| class client | an application or class that instantiates objects of another prewritten class; also called a class user |
| class user | an application or class that instantiates objects of another prewritten class; also called a class client |
| client method | a method that calls another |
| constructor | a method that establishes an object |
| data fields | data variables declared in a class outside of any method |
| dead code | a set of statements that are logically unreachable |
| declaration | the first line of the method and contains information about how other methods can interact with it; also known as a method header |
| default constructor | a constructor that is created automatically by the Java compiler |
| extend | to use one class as a basis for any other class |
| formal parameters | the variables in a method declaration that accept the values from actual parameters |
| fully qualified identifier | includes a class name and a dot before the identifier |
| implementation | the actions that execute within a method; the method body |
| implementation hiding | a principle of object-oriented programming that describes the encapsulation of method details within a class |
| information hiding | the object-oriented programming principle used when creating private access for data fields; a class’s private data can be changed or manipulated only by a class’s own methods and not by methods that belong to other classes |
| instance methods | methods used with object instantiations |
| instance variables | a class's data components |
| instantiation | a tangible example of a class; an object of a class |
| interface | the part of a method that a client sees and uses; includes the method’s return type, name, and arguments |
| invoke | to execute a method |
| is a relationship | the relationship between an object and the class of which it is a member |
| local variable | a variable known only within the boundaries of a method |
| method | a program module that contains a series of statements that carry out a task |
| method body | the set of statements between curly braces that follow the header and that carry out the method’s actions |
| method header | the first line of the method and contains information about how other methods can interact with it; also known as a declaration |
| mutator methods | methods that set values |
| new operator | an operator that allocates the memory needed to hold an object |
| nonstatic methods | methods used with object instantiations |
| parameters | the data items received by a method |
| primary key | a unique identifier for data within a database |
| private access | no other classes can access a field’s values; only methods of the same class are allowed to set, get, or otherwise use private variables |
| programmer-defined data type | a data type that is created by a programmer and not built into the language |
| reference to an object | the name for a memory address where the object is held |
| return statement | a statement that ends a method and frequently sends a value from a called method back to the calling method |
| return type | the type of data that, upon completion of the method, is sent back to its calling method |
| signature | the combination of the method name and the number, types, and order of arguments |
| stub | a method that contains no statements; programmers create stubs as temporary placeholders during the program development process |
| to return a value | to send the value from a called method back to the calling method |
| unreachable statements | statements that cannot be executed because the logical path can never encounter them; these statements cause compiler errors |
