Java 8 and above
Using Java 8+ lambda expressions, if you have a class or interface with only a single abstract method (sometimes called a SAM type), for example:
public interface MyInterface {
String doSomething(int param1, String param2);
}
then anywhere where MyInterface is used, you can substitute a lambda expression:
class MyClass {
public MyInterface myInterface = (p1, p2) -> { return p2 + p1; };
}
For example, you can create a new thread very quickly:
new Thread(() -> someMethod()).start();
And use the method reference syntax to make it even cleaner:
new Thread(this::someMethod).start();
Without lambda expressions, these last two examples would look like:
new Thread(new Runnable() { someMethod(); }).start();
Before Java 8
A common pattern would be to 'wrap' it within an interface, like Callable, for example, then you pass in a Callable:
public T myMethod(Callable<T> func) {
return func.call();
}
This pattern is known as the Command Pattern.
Keep in mind you would be best off creating an interface for your particular usage. If you chose to go with callable, then you'd replace T above with whatever type of return value you expect, such as String.
In response to your comment below you could say:
public int methodToPass() {
// do something
}
public void dansMethod(int i, Callable<Integer> myFunc) {
// do something
}
then call it, perhaps using an anonymous inner class:
dansMethod(100, new Callable<Integer>() {
public Integer call() {
return methodToPass();
}
});
Keep in mind this is not a 'trick'. It's just java's basic conceptual equivalent to function pointers.
Answer from jk. on Stack OverflowJava 8 and above
Using Java 8+ lambda expressions, if you have a class or interface with only a single abstract method (sometimes called a SAM type), for example:
public interface MyInterface {
String doSomething(int param1, String param2);
}
then anywhere where MyInterface is used, you can substitute a lambda expression:
class MyClass {
public MyInterface myInterface = (p1, p2) -> { return p2 + p1; };
}
For example, you can create a new thread very quickly:
new Thread(() -> someMethod()).start();
And use the method reference syntax to make it even cleaner:
new Thread(this::someMethod).start();
Without lambda expressions, these last two examples would look like:
new Thread(new Runnable() { someMethod(); }).start();
Before Java 8
A common pattern would be to 'wrap' it within an interface, like Callable, for example, then you pass in a Callable:
public T myMethod(Callable<T> func) {
return func.call();
}
This pattern is known as the Command Pattern.
Keep in mind you would be best off creating an interface for your particular usage. If you chose to go with callable, then you'd replace T above with whatever type of return value you expect, such as String.
In response to your comment below you could say:
public int methodToPass() {
// do something
}
public void dansMethod(int i, Callable<Integer> myFunc) {
// do something
}
then call it, perhaps using an anonymous inner class:
dansMethod(100, new Callable<Integer>() {
public Integer call() {
return methodToPass();
}
});
Keep in mind this is not a 'trick'. It's just java's basic conceptual equivalent to function pointers.
You could use Java reflection to do this. The method would be represented as an instance of java.lang.reflect.Method.
import java.lang.reflect.Method;
public class Demo {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception{
Class[] parameterTypes = new Class[1];
parameterTypes[0] = String.class;
Method method1 = Demo.class.getMethod("method1", parameterTypes);
Demo demo = new Demo();
demo.method2(demo, method1, "Hello World");
}
public void method1(String message) {
System.out.println(message);
}
public void method2(Object object, Method method, String message) throws Exception {
Object[] parameters = new Object[1];
parameters[0] = message;
method.invoke(object, parameters);
}
}
[Java] How do I pass a method as a parameter to another method?
java - Passing a generic function as parameter - Code Review Stack Exchange
interface - Java Pass Method as Parameter - Stack Overflow
How to use a function as a parameter? - Processing Forum
Videos
As of Java 8, lambda expressions are a nice solution as other answers have pointed out. The answer below was written for Java 7 and earlier...
Take a look at the command pattern.
// NOTE: code not tested, but I believe this is valid java...
public class CommandExample
{
public interface Command
{
public void execute(Object data);
}
public class PrintCommand implements Command
{
public void execute(Object data)
{
System.out.println(data.toString());
}
}
public static void callCommand(Command command, Object data)
{
command.execute(data);
}
public static void main(String... args)
{
callCommand(new PrintCommand(), "hello world");
}
}
As Pete Kirkham points out, there's another way of doing this using a Visitor. The visitor approach is a little more involved - your nodes all need to be visitor-aware with an acceptVisitor() method - but if you need to traverse a more complex object graph, then it's worth examining.
In Java 8, you can now pass a method more easily using Lambda Expressions and Method References. First, some background: a functional interface is an interface that has one and only one abstract method, although it can contain any number of default methods (new in Java 8) and static methods. A lambda expression can quickly implement the abstract method, without all the unnecessary syntax needed if you don't use a lambda expression.
Without lambda expressions:
obj.aMethod(new AFunctionalInterface() {
@Override
public boolean anotherMethod(int i)
{
return i == 982
}
});
With lambda expressions:
obj.aMethod(i -> i == 982);
Here is an excerpt from the Java tutorial on Lambda Expressions:
Syntax of Lambda Expressions
A lambda expression consists of the following:
A comma-separated list of formal parameters enclosed in parentheses. The CheckPerson.test method contains one parameter, p, which represents an instance of the Person class.
Note: You can omit the data type of the parameters in a lambda expression. In addition, you can omit the parentheses if there is only one parameter. For example, the following lambda expression is also valid:p -> p.getGender() == Person.Sex.MALE && p.getAge() >= 18 && p.getAge() <= 25The arrow token,
->A body, which consists of a single expression or a statement block. This example uses the following expression:
p.getGender() == Person.Sex.MALE && p.getAge() >= 18 && p.getAge() <= 25If you specify a single expression, then the Java runtime evaluates the expression and then returns its value. Alternatively, you can use a return statement:
p -> { return p.getGender() == Person.Sex.MALE && p.getAge() >= 18 && p.getAge() <= 25; }A return statement is not an expression; in a lambda expression, you must enclose statements in braces ({}). However, you do not have to enclose a void method invocation in braces. For example, the following is a valid lambda expression:
email -> System.out.println(email)Note that a lambda expression looks a lot like a method declaration; you can consider lambda expressions as anonymous methods—methods without a name.
Here is how you can "pass a method" using a lambda expression:
interface I {
public void myMethod(Component component);
}
class A {
public void changeColor(Component component) {
// code here
}
public void changeSize(Component component) {
// code here
}
}
class B {
public void setAllComponents(Component[] myComponentArray, I myMethodsInterface) {
for(Component leaf : myComponentArray) {
if(leaf instanceof Container) { // recursive call if Container
Container node = (Container)leaf;
setAllComponents(node.getComponents(), myMethodInterface);
} // end if node
myMethodsInterface.myMethod(leaf);
} // end looping through components
}
}
class C {
A a = new A();
B b = new B();
public C() {
b.setAllComponents(this.getComponents(), component -> a.changeColor(component));
b.setAllComponents(this.getComponents(), component -> a.changeSize(component));
}
}
Class C can be shortened even a bit further by the use of method references like so:
class C {
A a = new A();
B b = new B();
public C() {
b.setAllComponents(this.getComponents(), a::changeColor);
b.setAllComponents(this.getComponents(), a::changeSize);
}
}