Can't call non static method

Question

I am trying to use this wavRead(filename) but am getting the message cannot make a static reference to a non static method.

I could simply make it static and that solves my problem, but how would do it without going that route. I would like to keep the method non static.

Here is a bit of the code to let you see whats going on:

public class Sound {

double [] mySamples;
public static void main(String[] args){

    String filename = null;
    System.out.println("Type the filename you wish to act upon.");
    Scanner scanIn = new Scanner(System.in);
    filename = scanIn.next();
    wavRead(filename);


}
public void  wavRead(java.lang.String fileName){
    mySamples = WavIO.read(fileName);
}

Solution 1

Create an instance of your class

public static void main(String[] args){

    String filename = null;
    System.out.println("Type the filename you wish to act upon.");
    Scanner scanIn = new Scanner(System.in);
    filename = scanIn.next();
    Sound sound = new Sound();
    sound.wavRead(fileName);
}

It's an instance method, it requires an instance to access it. Please go through the official tutorials on classes and objects.

Solution 2

You cannot call non-static methods or access non-static fields from main or any other static method, because non-static members belong to a class instance, not to the entire class.

You need to make an instance of your class, and call wavRead on it, or make wavRead and mySamples static:

public static void main(String[] args) {
    Sound instance = new Sound();
    ...
    instance.wavRead(fileName);
}

Solution 3

You need to make a Sound object before you can call wavRead on it. Something like

Sound mySound = new Sound();
mySound.wavRead(filename);

Static just means that you don't need to have an instance of the class that the method belongs to.