Methods: Communicating with Objects

Let’s add the new methods that return values to our OneRowNim class. We might note that the report() method from the previous chapter displays the values of nSticks and player in the console window which now could be done by using the methods getSticks() and getPlayer() with System.out.println(). However, calling report() is an easy way to display the values of both instance variables but it cannot provide Redundancy and flexibility access to either variable as an int value. So let’s keep all three methods in our class definition. The inconvenience of a small amount of redundancy is outweighed by the added flexibility of being able to call all three methods.

Figure 3.5 provides a UML class diagram of the expanded OneRowNim class.

Let’s also consider a new main() method to test the new methods of the class. A very short list of statements that call each of the three new methods returning values is given in the main() method in Figure 3.6.

The output to the console when this program is run will be:

Note that the constructor sets player to 2, so player stores the value 1 after one turn.

SELF-STUDY EXERCISES

EXERCISE 3.7 What would these segments of Java code display on the screen?

EXERCISE 3.8 Suppose that an int instance variable named nMoves is added to the OneRowNim class that counts the number of moves taken in a One Row Nim game. Write a Java method for the OneRowNim class to get the value stored in nMoves.

EXERCISE 3.9 Write a method for the OneRowNim class called playerOneGoesNext() that returns a boolean value. The value returned should be true if and only if player one has the next turn.