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Thread: Calling methods from other classes

  1. #1
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    Default Calling methods from other classes

    Hi everyone, this is such a dumb question but I'm doing my best in trying to learn java from a book

    I'm having a hard time with abstraction/modularization, more specifically I want to call on a method in another class.

    Im just messing around here but I have made three classes: Car, Wheels, Shell.
    Car will abstract from Wheels and Shell.

    Now I'm having a compiler error with Car as it does not like the method:

    public int shellSize()
        {
            //return the size of the shell from the object big
            return big.getSize;
        }

    I have tried everything I know to try and figure out why it won't work - turns out I'm stuck and wondered if you could help?

    What I have:

    public class Car
    {
        private Shell big;
        private Wheels blackTyre;
     
        /**
         * Constructor for objects of class Car
         */
        public Car(String shellColour, int shellSize, String wheelColour, String wheelShape, int howMany)
        {
     
            big = new Shell(shellColour, shellSize);
            blackTyre = new Wheels(wheelColour, wheelShape, howMany);
        }
     
        /**
         * Method - Return the size of the shell
         */
        public int shellSize()
        {
            //return the size of the shell from the object big
            return big.getSize;
        }
    }

    and then my Shell class:

    public class Shell
    {
     
        private String colour;
        private int size;
     
        /**
         * Constructor
         */
        public Shell(String whatColour, int whatSize)
        {
           colour = whatColour;
           size = whatSize;
        }
     
        public String getColour()
        {
            return colour;
        }
     
        public int getSize()
        {
            return size;
        }
     
        public void getInfo()
        {
            System.out.println(" The colour of the shell is: " +colour+ " and the size is: " +size);
        }
    }

    Thanks in advance


  2. #2
    Super Moderator Norm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Calling methods from other classes

    having a compiler error with Car as it does not like the method
    Please copy and paste here the full text of the error message(s).

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Calling methods from other classes

    The error message I see is:

    cannot find symbol - variable getSize
    So then I tried

    public int shellSize()
        {
            //return the size of the shell from the object big
            return big.size;
        }

    And I get the error message:

    size has private access in shell
    And thats where I'm at :/

  4. #4
    Super Moderator Norm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Calling methods from other classes

    cannot find symbol - variable getSize
    Look at this error message again. The compiler is looking for a missing variable

    What does the Shell class have that is named getSize?
    A variable or a method?

    You reference a method by adding an ending ()

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to Norm For This Useful Post:

    knightknight (June 7th, 2011)

  6. #5
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    Default Re: Calling methods from other classes

    You are incredible, how did I miss that!

    thanks!

    code:

    public int shellSize()
        {
            //return the size of the shell from the object big
            return big.getSize();
        }

    Thanks again!

  7. #6
    Super Moderator Norm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Calling methods from other classes

    It pays to take a close look at the error message and try to figure out what the compiler is looking for.

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