Please help with simple applet.

Hey guys this is my first post. I am very new to java and have had trouble understanding this program out of a textbook, hopefully you guys can help me understand it.

package squareint;

import java.awt.Container;
import javax.swing.*;

public class SquareInt extends JApplet
{


public void init()
{
String output = "";

JTextArea outputArea = new JTextArea( 10, 20 );

Container c = getContentPane();

c.add( outputArea );

int result;

for( int x = 1; x <=10; x++)
{
result = square( x );
output += "The square of " + x +
" is " + result + "\n";
}

outputArea.setText( output );
}

public int square( int y )
{
return y * y;
}
}

The parts that i am stuck on are:
String output = "" (the textbook hasn't said anything about it)
Container c = getContentPane() (don't know what a container is, or what getContentPane() means)
result = square( x ) (where does square come from)
public int square( int y) (i think this is a method or something i haven't ever created two in one program before what does it mean public int, and what is y?)

Forum Rules -- especially the third paragraph
http://www.java-forums.org/forum-gui...w-members.html
BB Code List - Java Programming Forum

db

Code:

---

String output = "";

---

This is a declaration with an initialization.

Code:

---

Container c = getContentPane();

---

A container is a somewhat generic class for holding GUI components, and getContentPage returns the ContentPane (which is a container) for the given object receiving the call.

Quote:

---

(where does square come from)

---

it comes from:

Code:

---

public int square( int y )
{
return y * y;
}

---

Quote:

---

public int, and what is y?

---

public is the scope, int is the return type, y is a parameter.

Sounds like before you go any further, you need to learn the essential parts of a java program:
- primitive types
- class structure
- method structure
- statement structure
- scope
- control structures
etc....

Time to do some reading!