//Comments begin with a “//”. Note that all keywords are written in red

//in the comments.

//*******************************************************************

// Lincoln.java Author: Lewis and Loftus

//

// Demonstrates the basic structure of a Java class

//*******************************************************************

//the Java interpreter or compiler ignores all of the characters after “//”

//the syntax for a class definition is “modifer class class-identifer”. In

//this case, the modifer is public and the identifier is “Lincoln”.

//Identifiers like “Lincoln” are chosen by the person who writes the

//program, but the name chosen must follow the rules of Java.

//public means that the whole world has access to this class.

public class Lincoln

{ //Again, notice that the class is contained in

//a opening brace “{“ and

// a closing brace “}”

//---------------------------------------------------

// A class to print a presidential quote

//---------------------------------------------------

//A method has the format modifier returnType identifierName.

//The modifier is public, meaning it is accessible to the

//world. It does not return anything, so it has the void as

//the return type. void means nothing is returned.

//The String[] args are the parameters passed to this method.

public static void main(String[] args)

{ //the definition of the method “main is

//also contained between “{“

// and “}”

//---------------------------------------------------

// Calls method to print a presidential quote

//---------------------------------------------------

quote();

}

private static void quote()

{ //The method’s definition is contained between

//the opening brace “{“ and

//the closing brace “}”

System.out.println("A quote by Abraham Lincoln:");

System.out.println("Whatever you are, be a good one.");

}

}

//The System.out.println is a call to a Java supplied class (an API)

//”System”, which contains a class of type PrintStream called “out”, which

//has a method called “println”. This sends whatever is in the quotes

//to the standard output, which is the console window.

//So “System.out.println” is a simple way for the program to communicate

//with the outside world. It sends output to the console window. It

//only sends “Strings” to the outside world.

//Insider the class we have a method, whose name is “main”.

//All java programs start at the method called “main”, so there can

//be at most one method called “main” in a Java program.

//The modifier static attached to the method “main” signifies that

//“main” is a class method and is not attached to any object.

//Finally, the method “quote” is called from the method “main”. It

//is also static because a static method may only call another

//static method, and not a non-static method. A non-static method

//is a method which only belongs to an object of the class. The

//reason a static method can not call a non-static method, is that

//the compiler wouldn’t know which object the method belongs to.

//“quote” returns nothing so its return type is void, and it is private.

//A private method is one that only members of the class have access

//to it, and not the outside world. The method “quote” then prints

//out the quote from Abraham Lincoln.