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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 behaviors. Example: A dog has states - color, name, breed as well as behavior 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 behavior/state that the object of its type supports.

Methods − A method is basically a behavior. 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 these instance variables.


Our first java program

So let us take a look in a simple program
That prints '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's 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 it's 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.


Output

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.
Program File Name − Name of the program file should exactly match the class name.

Example: public void myMethodName()

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 −
Class Variables (Static Variables)
Local 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

Enums were introduced in Java 5.0. Enums restrict a variable to have one of only a few predefined values. The values in this enumerated list are called enums.
With the use of enums 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 −
Output

Size: MEDIUM

Note − Enums can be declared as their own or inside a class. Methods, variables, constructors can be defined inside enums as well.



Java Keywords

The following list shows the reserved words in Java. These reserved words may not be used as constant or variable or any other identifier names.

abstract
assert
boolean
break
char
catch
case
class
byte
const
continue
default
enum
else
double
do
extends
final
finally
float
implements
if
goto
for
import
instanceof
int
interface
package
new
native
long
private
protected
public
return
short
static
strictfp
super
switch
synchronized
this
throw
throws
transient
try
void
volatile
while


Comments in Java
Java supports single-line and multi-line comments very similar to C and C++. All characters available inside any comment are ignored by Java compiler.

Example

public class MyFirstJavaProgram {

   /* This is my first java program.
    * This will print 'Hello World' as the output
    * This is an example of multi-line comments.
    */

   public static void main(String []args) {
      // This is an example of single line comment
      /* This is also an example of single line comment. */
      System.out.println("Hello World");
   }
}


Output

Hello World.



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.


What is Next?

The next section explains about Objects and classes in Java programming. At the end of the session, you will be able to get a clear picture as to what are objects and what are classes in Java.

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