Confusion over method parameter and instance variable having same name

[chinny mn]

class Employee {
       public String name = "John";
       public void modifyName(String name)
           {
          name = name;     // I know using 'this' would be helpful, but I dont want to
            }
    System.out.println(name);
           }

     class Someclass {
         public static void main(String[] args)
             {
           Employee e1 = new Employee();
                 System.out.println(e1.modifyName("Dave"));
                 System.out.println(e1.name);  // Does this outputs John or Dave?
              }
              }

Now Does the method modifyName behaves like a setter and changes the instance variable name to be "Dave" or modifyName cannot behave like setter but treats name as only the method parameter.

Does the method modifyName cannot be a setter only because of the naming convetion? modifyName() treats name as method parameter just because of not using JavaBean naming conventions?

if we change the name of the method modifyName() to setName(), then it changes the instance variable name?

[Joanne Neal]

I think you're overcomplicating things. In this line

name = name;     // I know using 'this' would be helpful, but I dont want to  

name and name are the same variable (the method parameter), so you are setting name to its current value.
To get round it you either use

this.name = name;

which apparently you don't want to (why not ?)
or you change the name of the method parameter

public void modifyName(String pname)  
{  
    name = pname;   
}

The name of the method in all this is irrelevant.

[Bear Bibeault]

chinny mn wrote:// I know using 'this' would be helpful, but I dont want to

This is completely mystifying. What's your reluctance to using this?

[Matthew Brown]

chinny mn wrote:

       public void modifyName(String name)
           {
          name = name;     // I know using 'this' would be helpful, but I dont want to
            }

There are some places where using this is a matter of style. Some people prefer to be explicit everywhere, others don't. Perhaps by this you mean that you don't.

But there are some places where the use of this changes the meaning of the statement entirely. Here, name and this.name are entirely different variables.