What does this method do?

So i wrote a method for an assignment, and I think it's right but I just don't know exactly what it does.

Code:

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public static String huh(Shed[] sheds){
  int start = 0;
  for(int j = 1; j < sheds.length; j++)
    if (sheds[j].size < sheds[start].size)
    start = j;
  return (sheds[start].owner);
 }

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I know what it does, in a step-by-step way but what is its like...recognizable chore?

Quote:

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i wrote a method

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Why do you think it is right, ie why do you think it does what you intended it to do? What did you intend it to do?

Because I complied it with the source code

Code:

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public class Shed{
  private String owner;
  private int size;
 
  public Shed(String who, int area){
    owner = who;
    size = area;
  }
 
  public String getOwner(){return owner;}
  public int getSize(){return size;}
 
  public String toString()
  {return("owner: " + owner + " size: " + size);}
}

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and it compiled successfully and I am just trying to know what this specific method does

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jwb4291

So i wrote a method for an assignment, and I think it's right but I just don't know exactly what it does.

Code:

---

public static String huh(Shed[] sheds){
  int start = 0;
  for(int j = 1; j < sheds.length; j++)
    if (sheds[j][B].size[/B] < sheds[start][B].size[/B])
    start = j;
  return (sheds[start].owner);
 }

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I know what it does, in a step-by-step way but what is its like...recognizable chore?

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Firstly, the bolded lines looks like you're trying to call the method ".size()" on an Object-Array - but instead you're calling it on a 'Shed' at the index of "j" and "start" respectively - and also without parameters as well.

This method shouldn't be working, as far as I know.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Muskar

This method shouldn't be working, as far as I know.

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It does work, I just cant figure out exactly what the method is doing. Which is my original question, I just want to know what the method is doing.

Nvm, I figured it out..
It searches an array of Shed objects for the object with the lowest numeric size and returns the owner of that object as a String.

I'm terribly confused. If you state that you have written the method, then how could you write it if you don't know what it does? Don't you need to know what it does before you can write it?

Or was it copied from an assignment and part of your assignment is to tell the instructor what it does?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jwb4291

It does work, I just cant figure out exactly what the method is doing. Which is my original question, I just want to know what the method is doing.

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Alright, there's obviously something I didn't know about objects then - since the only types of code "called" on an object I know (that doesn't have parameters) are enums - and they don't contain integers in them as far as I know.

Anyway, from what I understand it returns the "Shed" with the lowest value of "size".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Muskar

Alright, there's obviously something I didn't know about object-arrays, I just checked the API.

Anyway, from what I understand it returns the "Shed" with the lowest value of "size".

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It doesn't return a Shed object, it returns a String that represents the owner of the Shed with the lowest size property. My previous questions however still stand.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fubarable

It doesn't return a Shed object, it returns a String that represents the owner of the Shed with the lowest size property. My previous questions however still stand.

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Yeah sorry, that's what I meant. Yet I still don't understand what is "called" on the objects (the .size and .owner).
EDIT:
I just looked up Properties and it involves keys, which is something I know I'm scheduled to learn until spring (on my education) - if it's a property then I'll stay confused - so sorry to the OP.

Also, to the original poster -- I recommend that you enclose all blocks in curly braces so as to avoid confusion. For instance, I recommend something more like this:

Code:

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public static String huh(Shed[] sheds){
  int indexOfSmallest = 0;
  for(int j = 1; j < sheds.length; j++) {
    if (sheds[j].getSize < sheds[indexOfSmallest].getSize) {
      indexOfSmallest = j;
    }
  }
  return (sheds[indexOfSmallest].owner);
 }

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Muskar

EDIT:
I just looked up Properties and it involves keys, which is something I know I'm scheduled to learn until spring (on my education) - if it's a property then I'll stay confused - so sorry to the OP.

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You're confusing Java Properties which can store configurable parameters of a program with the more generic term, properties, which are fields that have somewhat limited access via getters and sometimes setters: Property

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fubarable

You're confusing Java Properties which can store configurable parameters of a program with the more generic term, properties, which are fields that have somewhat limited access via getters and sometimes setters: Property

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wikipedia.org

Some object-oriented languages, such as Java, don't support properties, and require the programmer to define a pair of accessor and mutator methods instead.

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I'm even more confused now. I cannot seem to find the difference between a property and a field. But no matter - I'm not topic-starter here, so let's not go too off-topic.

Agree. And the original poster has left the forum and without explanation has ignored my questions to him. Hm.

Quote:

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the original poster has left the forum and without explanation has ignored my questions to him.

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Probably gone to another forum to ask what another copy-pasted method does.

db