Is this code correct?

Question

help me please
in this code the code should make a method for reading form a file
import java.io.*;
public class Basic2
     String contents;
     String fileName = "schools.txt";
     BufferedReader now;
     public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException
          public BufferedReader open(BufferedReader fileReader)
               fileReader = new BufferedReader(new FileReader("schools.txt"));
     contents = open(now).readLine();
     System.out.println (contents);

Answer 1

You are trying to make a method inside a method. Move the open method before or after the main method.
There is a problem with your open method. The return type is BufferedReader but you don't return anything from the method. And you cannot pass in "now" to the method and initialize it in the method like you do. It won't assign anything to your now variable since its a copy of the reference that is passed to the method.
It's also better to make a method that both opens the file, reads the file and the closes the file, and finally return the information you needed from the file, perhaps the whole file in a string or just the first line:
public String readFirstLine(String filename) throws IOException {
  BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(filename));
  String s = in.readLine();
  in.close();
  return s;
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
  System.out.println(readFirstLine(fileName));
}