===== 5.9 Methods =====

Each method is described by a variable-length **method_info** structure. The format of this structure is: 

The items of the **method_info** structure are as follows: 

**token** 

The ******token****** item is the ******token****** assigned to this method. If this method is a ****static**** method or constructor, the ******token****** item represents a ****static**** method ******token****** ([[4.3.7.4_Static Methods and Constructors| Section 4.3.7.4, Static Methods and Constructors]]). If this method is a virtual method, the ******token****** item represents a virtual method ******token****** ([[4.3.7.6_Virtual Methods| Section 4.3.7.6, Virtual Methods]]). If this method is an ****interface**** method, the ******token****** item represents an ****interface**** method ******token****** ([[4.3.7.7_Interface Methods| Section 4.3.7.7, Interface Methods]]). 

**access_flags** 

The value of the ****access_flags**** item is a mask of modifiers used with methods. The ****access_flags**** modifiers are shown in the following table. 

Name 

Value 

Meaning 

Used By 

ACC_PUBLIC 

0x0001 

Is public; may be accessed from outside its package. 

Any method 

ACC_PROTECTED 

0x0004 

Is protected; may be accessed within subclasses. 

Class/instance method 

ACC_STATIC 

0x0008 

Is static. 

Class/instance method 

ACC_FINAL 

0x0010 

Is final; no further overriding or assignment after initialization. 

Class/instance method 

ACC_ABSTRACT 

0x0400 

Is abstract; no implementation is provided 

Any method 

Method access and modifier flags are defined in the same way and with the same restrictions as described in The Java Virtual Machine Specification. 

Since all methods represented in an export file are either public or protected, exactly one of the **ACC_PUBLIC** or **ACC_PROTECTED** flag must be set. 

Unlike in Java class files, the **ACC_NATIVE** flag is not supported in **export** files. Whether a method is native is an implementation detail that is not relevant to importing packages. The Java Card virtual machine reserves all other flag values. Their values must be zero. 

**name_index** 

The value of the **name_index** item must be a valid index into the ****constant_pool**** table. The ****constant_pool**** entry at that index must be a **CONSTANT_Utf8_info** ([[5.6.4_CONSTANT_Utf8| Section 5.6.4, CONSTANT_Utf8]]) structure representing either the special internal method name for constructors, ****, or a valid Java method name stored as a simple (not fully qualified) name. 

**descriptor_index** 

The value of the **descriptor_index** item must be a valid index into the **constant_pool** table. The **constant_pool** entry at that index must be a **CONSTANT_Utf8_info** ([[5.6.4_CONSTANT_Utf8| Section 5.6.4, CONSTANT_Utf8]]) structure representing a valid Java method descriptor. 

Representation of a method descriptor in an **export** file is the same as in a Java **class** file. See the specification described in The Java Virtual Machine Specification ([[4.3.3_The Export File and Conversion| Section 4.3.3, The Export File and Conversion]]). 

All classes referenced in a descriptor must be public classes.