Is it possible to have a non static method as a parameter

Question

public static String answer(vector alpha, vector beta){
    return (alpha.additionVector(beta)).vectortoString();
}

I want to apply this method to other operations. However, the other operators include dot product cross product etc.. So instead of limiting this method into only adding vectors, I would like this method to apply dot product or cross product. the parameter will effect the additionVector and potentially replace it depending on the parameters given.

I'm not exactly sure where to start as I tried putting the output of the non static method as one of the parameter.

public static String answer(vector alpha, vector beta, vector operator){
    return (alpha.operator(beta)).vectortoString();
}

But then it assumes that operator() is a function rather than a parameter.

Edit: let me try to rephrase the question.

I have a method called crossProduct() that returns the cross product of two vectors.

I have another method called subtraction() that returns the subtraction between two vectors.

What I want to do is this:

public String answer(vector alpha, vector beta, x){
     //where x is the non static method for the vector class and takes in a vector
     return (alpha.x(b)).vectortoString();
}

you mean to say all kind of vector operation should be performed by given method? — Raushan Kumar, Apr 05 '23 at 21:55
Please add the code for your `vector` class. We need that to be able to answer your question. Once you have done that, post a comment here so that we know to take a look again and help you solve this problem. — davidalayachew, Apr 05 '23 at 21:55

Anthony Accioly · Accepted Answer · 2023-04-05T22:46:32.163

You are looking for Functional Interfaces. BinaryOperator may be a good fit for your specific use case:

public static String answer(Vector alpha, Vector beta, BinaryOperator<Vector> operator){
    return operator.apply(alpha, beta).toString();
}

Assuming that the Vector class has a bunch of methods like the ones bellow:

public Vector add(Vector other) { // ...
}

public Vector subtract(Vector other) { //...
}

You can pass them around as method references:

String firstAnswer = answer(alpha, beta, Vector::add);
String secondAnswer = answer(alpha, beta, Vector::subtract);

PS: My code is following usual Java coding conventions. E.g., Class names use PascalCase and methods use camelCase. I highly suggest adopting the same conventions when writing Java code.

thanks a lot, using functional interfaces helped solve my problem. — MA w, Apr 05 '23 at 22:23

Is it possible to have a non static method as a parameter

1 Answers1