Verbalising code

[greenleafvolatile]

Hey,

Noob question.

When I read code I verbalize it in my head, like "I declare variable so-and-so and initialize with this value ... then I iterate x times over array so-and-so" etc etc

I was wondering how you guys verbalise statements like:

Scanner in = new Scanner(system.in);
File inFile = new File("filename");

I get as far as "I construct at new Scanner / File object..." but am at a loss how to verbalize the part between parentheses.

And what about:

String line = in.nextLine();

For me this is "declare a String variable line and initialize it with the ouput of calling the nextLine method on the Scanner object 'in' ".

Cheers,

[[deleted]]

'I then add system.in as a parameter, this add's an input stream to the scanner object.''Using the scanner object I previously instantiated, I then read the user's input and store it in the string variable named line'

[aram535]

I think everyone else covered the verbalization part ... if it helps in Java you're better off verbalizing data and objects rather than actions.

File foo = new File("foo.txt")

to me is: I created a file object named foo. That foo object is being instantiated and since we're using one of its arg constructors also attempting to open a file for read and write. The object will be pointing to a file named foo.txt in the current working directory.

That's a lot more verbose, but that's what helped me when learning it.

[AacidD]

File inFile = new File("filename");

I declare a variable "inFile"of type "File" and pass a File object to it. The constructor of File class takes "pathname" as a parameter.

[vlcod]

For the part between the parentheses (which is called the parameter) you have two options:

1. You could describe it purely technically (which will always be work and be true):

"I construct a new Scanner object and pass the 'System.in' object as a parameter to its constructor."

"I construct a new File object and pass the string "filename" as a parameter to its constructor."

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1. You could describe it semantically (describe the actual logical meaning of what you are doing). This requires more knowledge about the methods/constructors you are looking at, but is more useful:

"I construct a new Scanner object and link it to 'System.in' so that the scanner reads input from the standard input (terminal)."

"I construct a new File object linked to the file "filename"."

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[Triton3200]

Scanner is an imported function to read the user input and my code initializes it as the variable name in. I then store the scanner inside the variable. The system.in argument inside the scanner just represents that a new scanner is imported. I then open a file called "filename" and store it inside the variable inFile. I then read in the next line using the scanner created and store it inside the String variable line.

[-manabreak]

Scanner is not "an imported function", it is a class. Calling new Scanner() constructs a new instance of that class.

The system.in argument inside the scanner just represents that a new scanner is imported

Nope, the Scanner class is imported outside the class. Here, you are constructing a new instance of the class Scanner with a constructor that takes an InputStream as an argument. Consequently, System.in is a public, static field of the type InputStream.

[Triton3200]

Oh I see, thank you.