6.5.6

Meaning of Method Names

NAMES

The example:

class Point {

int x, y;

static int nPoints;

}

class Test {

public static void main(String[] args) {

int i = 0;

i.x++;

//

compile time error

Point p = new Point();

p.nPoints();

//

compile time error

}

}

encounters two compile time errors, because the

int

 variable

i

 has no members,

and because

nPoints

 is not a method of class

Point

.

6.5.6   Meaning of Method Names

A

MethodName

 can appear only in a method invocation expression ( 15.11). The

meaning of a name classified as a

MethodName

 is determined as follows.

6.5.6.1

Simple Method Names

If a method name consists of a single

Identifier

, then

Identifier

 is the method name

to be used for method invocation. The

Identifier

 must name at least one method of

the class or interface within whose declaration the

Identifier

 appears. See  15.11

for further discussion of the interpretation of simple method names in method

invocation expressions.

6.5.6.2

Qualified Method Names

If a method name is of the form

Q.Id

, then

Q

 has already been classified as a

package name, a type name, or an expression name. If

Q

 is a package name, then a

compile time error occurs. Otherwise,

Id

 is the method name to be used for

method invocation. If

Q

 is a type name, then

Id

 must name at least one

static

method of the type

Q

. If

Q

 is an expression name, then let

T

 be the type of the

expression

Q

;

Id

 must name at least one method of the type

T

. See  15.11 for fur 

ther discussion of the interpretation of qualified method names in method invoca 

tion expressions.

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