Java Reference
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dieValue = getRandomDieValue() ;
}
public int getValue () {
if (dieValue > =1 && dieValue < =6) {
return dieValue ;
}
else {
return 0;
}
}
{
private static int getRandomDieValue ()
return ( int )
(Math . random ( )
6+1);
}
}
The setValue method is substituted with the more appropriate rollDie method. In
other words, we do not allow someone from the outside world to set the value of a die. They
canonlycallthe rollDie method to change the value of a die to a random number. The
getValue method is changed to return the value of the variable dieValue only when it is in
the correct range. Note that in the above example it is obvious that dieValue will always
be between 1 and 6. However, as more methods are added to the Die class, this does not
need to be the case.
Every class can contain two types of methods: static and instance . A method is
defined as static by adding the static keyword to its definition. The absence of the
static keyword in the definition of a method implies that the method is instance.
Static methods are called on the class and have access only to the static variables of
the class. Instance methods are called on an object of the class and have, in addition,
access to the instance variables of the object on which they are called.
For example, if d is a Die object, then d.rollDie() will change the state of the die
object. When we refer to the variable dieValue in the rollDie method, we are actually
referring to d.dieValue (i.e., the variable dieValue for the d object). We will sometimes
refer to the object on which the method is called (e.g., d in the above example) as the hidden
parameter of the method. An instance method uses this object as a parameter without the
object being directly passed as a parameter.
Static methods do not possess a hidden parameter. They are called on the whole
class and not on a particular object. From within the class, a static method can be in-
voked just by referring to its name. This is the case inside the rollDie method, where
the static getRandomDieValue method is directly invoked. From outside the class, the
getRandomDieValue method can be invoked as follows: Die.getRandomDieValue() .How-
ever, this will only work as long as the declaration of the getRandomDieValue method is
changed to public . Remember that public data and methods can be accessed from ev-
erywhere. Conversely, private data and methods can only be accessed within the class in
which they are defined.
Note that a static method can be invoked on an object. However, this call is rewritten
to call the method on the class that the object belongs to. For example, if Die is a public
method and d is an object of type Die ,then
System. out . println (d. getRandomDieValue () ) ;
will be rewritten by Java as follows.
 
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