Java :Method Chaining (Builder Pattern)

Method Chaining (Builder Pattern)

While writing codes , ever wondered how Java codes (Selenium) or vbs (QTP) allows user todo something like : Object.method().method() .... and so on .

Eg :
Browser("Jobs").Page("QTP").WebElement(" ") //In QTP
Webdriver.FindElement("xxxx").sendkeys("123) ; //In Selenium

The above style uses a pattern called Builder pattern  internally.

Example :

public class test1 {
    public static void main(String[] args){
        animal a =new animal();
        a.set_name("dog").bites(false);
    }
}


public class animal {
    String animal_name;
    boolean Bites;

    public animal set_name(String animal_name){
        this.animal_name=animal_name;
        return this;
    }

    public animal bites(boolean Bites){
        this.Bites=Bites;
        return this;
    }
}

Thing to notice :
1. Each method uses "this" keyword while returning
2. Each method returns an object of the class type.

End Result :
 a.set_name("dog").bites(false);

What it means ?