Re: Method naming convention required

dagon@dagon.net (Mark Rafn) writes:


  This might be considered to be an implementation detail,
  which should not be visible to a client.

  Why should a client programmer need to know this?

  For example,

shape.rotate( a )

  might rotate a shape around its center (of gravity) by the
  angle a.

  After

Shape shape = new Rectangle();

  "rotate" will change the state, while after

Shape shape = new Circle();

  "rotate" might be a no-operation (not changing the state of
  its object). So "rotate" in the interface "Shape" can not be
  named to reflect both a state change and no state change.

  Moreover, for certain values of a, like "0" or multiples of
  360 degrees, "rotate( a )" may not change the state of a
  rectangle.

  Or, when a method does not change the state of its object, but
  the state of a referenced object, should this considered to be
  a change of the state of the object, too?

  Does

System.out.println( "a" );

  change the state of the object "System.out"? If this is
  take to represent the console, the answer is "yes", because
  text is added to the console. However, the answer might
  be "no", if only the modification of primitve fields are
  considered to be a change.