Java - Basics Tutorial
Java - Basic Syntax
When we consider a Java program, it can be defined as a collection of objects that communicate via invoking each other's methods. Let us now briefly look into what do class, object, methods, and instance variables mean.
· Object - Objects have
states and behaviours . Example: A dog has states - colour, name, breed as well
as behaviour such as wagging their tail, barking, eating. An object is an
instance of a class.
· Class - A class can be defined as a template/blueprint that describes the behaviour/state that the object of its type supports.
· Methods - A method is a
behaviour. A class can contain many methods. It is in methods where the logics
are written, data is manipulated and all the actions are executed.
· Instance Variables - Each
object has its unique set of instance variables. An object's state is created
by the values assigned to this instance variables.
First Java Program
Let us look at a simple code that will print the words Hello World.
public class MyFirstJavaProgram { /* This is my first java program. * This will print 'Hello World' as
the output */ public static void main(String []args) { System.out.println("Hello
World"); // prints Hello World } } |
Let us look
at how to save the file, compile, and run the program. Please follow the
subsequent steps:
· Open notepad and add the code as above.
· Save the file as MyFirstJavaProgram.java.
· Open a command prompt window and go to the directory
where you saved the class.
Assume its C:\.
· Type 'javac MyFirstJavaProgram.java' and press enter
to compile your code. If there are no errors in your code, the command prompt
will take you to the next line (Assumption : The path variable is set).
· Now, type ' java MyFirstJavaProgram ' to run your
program.
· You will be able to see ' Hello World ' printed on
the window.
C:\> javac MyFirstJavaProgram.java C:\> java MyFirstJavaProgram Hello World |
Basic Syntax
About Java programs, it is very important to keep in mind the following points
· Case Sensitivity - Java is case sensitive, which means identifier
Hello and hello would have different meaning in Java.
· Class Names - For all class names the first letter should be in
Upper Case. If several words are used to form a name of the class, each inner
word's first letter should be in Upper Case. Example: class MyFirstJavaClass
· Method Names - All method names should start with a Lower Case
letter. If several words are used to form the name of the method, then each
inner word's first letter should be in Upper Case. Example: public void
myMethodName()
· Program File Name - Name of the program file should exactly match
the class name. When saving the file, you should save it using the class name
(Remember Java is case sensitive) and append '.java' to the end of the name (if
the file name and the class name do not match, your program will not compile).
Example: Assume 'MyFirstJavaProgram' is
the class name. Then the file should be saved as 'MyFirstJavaProgram.java'
· public static void main(String args[]) - Java program processing
starts from the main() method which is a mandatory part of every Java program.
Java Identifiers
All Java components require names. Names used for classes,
variables, and methods are called identifiers.
In Java, there are several points to remember about
identifiers. They are as follows:
· All identifiers should begin with
a letter (A to Z or a to z), currency character ($) or an underscore (_).
· After the first character,
identifiers can have any combination of characters.
· A key word cannot be used
as an identifier.
· Most importantly,
identifiers are case sensitive.
· Examples of legal
identifiers: age, $salary, _value, __1_value.
· Examples of illegal
identifiers: 123abc, -salary.
Java Modifiers
Like other languages, it is possible to modify classes, methods, etc., by using modifiers. There are two categories of modifiers:
· Access Modifiers: default, public
, protected, private
· Non-access Modifiers:
final, abstract, strictfp
We will be looking into more details about modifiers in the
next section.
Java Variables
Following are the
types of variables in Java:
· Local Variables
· Class Variables (Static Variables)
· Instance Variables (Non-static
Variables)
Java Arrays
Arrays are
objects that store multiple variables of the same type. However, an array
itself is an object on the heap. We will look into how to declare, construct,
and initialize in the upcoming chapters.
Java Enums
Enum were introduced
in Java 5.0. Enum restrict a variable to have one of only a few predefined
values. The values in this enumerated list are called enum. With the use of
enum it is possible to reduce the number of bugs in your code. For example, if
we consider an application for a fresh juice shop, it would be possible to
restrict the glass size to small, medium, and large. This would make sure that
it would not allow anyone to order any size other than small, medium, or large.
Example
class FreshJuice { enum FreshJuiceSize{ SMALL,
MEDIUM, LARGE } FreshJuiceSize size; } public class FreshJuiceTest { public static void main(String args[]){ FreshJuice juice = new
FreshJuice(); juice.size =
FreshJuice.FreshJuiceSize.MEDIUM ; System.out.println("Size:
" + juice.size); } } |
The above example will produce the following result:
Size: MEDIUM
Using Blank Lines
A line containing only
white space, possibly with a comment, is known as a blank line, and Java
totally ignores it.
Inheritance
In Java, classes can be derived from classes. Basically, if you need to create a new class and here is already a class that has some of the code you require, then it is possible to derive your new class from the already existing code. This concept allows you to reuse the fields and methods of the existing class without having to rewrite the code in a new class. In this scenario, the existing class is called the superclass and the derived class is called the subclass.
Interfaces
In Java language, an
interface can be defined as a contract between objects on how to communicate
with each other. Interfaces play a vital role when it comes to the concept of
inheritance.
An interface defines
the methods, a deriving class (subclass) should use. But the implementation of
the methods is totally up to the subclass.
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