Java Coding Style Guide

Achut Reddy
Server Management Tools Group
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Created: January 27, 1998
Last modified: May 30, 2000

ABSTRACT

The importance and benefits of a consistent coding style are well known. This document describes a set of coding
standards and recommendations for programs written in the Java language. It is intended for all Java software de-
velopers. It contains no material proprietary to Sun, and may be freely distributed outside Sun as well.
Feedback in the form of corrections or suggestions for improvement are welcomed. Comments may be sent to
achut@eng.sun.com.
 Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................................1
1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................1
1.2 Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................1

2.0 Source Files........................................................................................................................1

2.1 Source file naming ........................................................................................................2
2.2 Source file organization ................................................................................................2
2.2.1 Copyright/ID block comment ..............................................................................2
2.2.2 package declaration.............................................................................................3
2.2.3 import declarations .............................................................................................3
2.2.4 class/interface declarations ...........................................................................3

3.0 Naming Conventions.........................................................................................................3

3.1 Package naming ............................................................................................................4
3.2 Class/Interface naming..................................................................................................4
3.3 Field naming .................................................................................................................4
3.4 Method naming .............................................................................................................5
3.5 Local variable naming...................................................................................................5
3.6 Statement label naming.................................................................................................5

4.0 White Space Usage............................................................................................................6

4.1 Blank lines ....................................................................................................................6
4.2 Blank spaces..................................................................................................................6
4.2.1 A single blank space (not tab) should be used:....................................................6
4.2.2 Blanks should not be used: ..................................................................................6
4.3 Indentation ....................................................................................................................7
4.4 Continuation lines .........................................................................................................7

5.0 Comments ..........................................................................................................................8

5.1 Documentation comments ............................................................................................8
5.2 Block comments............................................................................................................9
5.3 Single-line comments....................................................................................................10

6.0 Classes ................................................................................................................................10

6.1 Class body organization................................................................................................11
6.1.1 Member access levels ..........................................................................................11
6.1.2 Member documentation comments......................................................................11
6.1.3 Class and instance variable field declarations .....................................................11
6.1.4 Static initializer ....................................................................................................12
6.1.5 Static member inner class declarations ................................................................12
6.1.6 Static method declarations ...................................................................................12
6.1.7 Instance initializer................................................................................................12
6.1.8 Constructor declarations ......................................................................................12
6.1.9 Instance method declarations...............................................................................13
6.2 Method declarations......................................................................................................13
6.3 Local inner classes ........................................................................................................14

Java Coding Style Guide i Table of Contents

 Table of Contents
6.4 Anonymous inner classes..............................................................................................14
6.5 Anonymous array expressions and array initializers ....................................................15

7.0 Interfaces ...........................................................................................................................15

7.1 Interface body organization ..........................................................................................16

8.0 Statements..........................................................................................................................16
8.1 Simple statements .........................................................................................................16
8.1.1 Assignment and expression statements................................................................16
8.1.2 Local variable declarations ..................................................................................16
8.1.3 Array declarations................................................................................................16
8.1.4 return statement .................................................................................................17
8.2 Compound statements...................................................................................................17
8.2.1 Braces style ..........................................................................................................17
8.2.2 Allowed exception to braces rule.........................................................................17
8.2.3 if statement ........................................................................................................18
8.2.4 for statement ......................................................................................................18
8.2.5 while statement ...................................................................................................18
8.2.6 do-while statement .............................................................................................18
8.2.7 switch statement ................................................................................................18
8.2.8 try statement .......................................................................................................19
8.2.9 synchronized statement ....................................................................................19
8.3 Labeled statements........................................................................................................19

References................................................................................................................................20

Appendix A - Java Coding Style Example

Appendix B - Java Coding Style Quick Reference Sheet

Java Coding Style Guide ii Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction
This document describes a set of standards and guidelines for developing programs in the Java language
(as specified in [3]) with a consistent style. It is meant to be used not only by programmers directly writing
Java code, but also by programmers creating programs which automatically generate Java code.
The importance and benefits of a consistent coding style are well known. A consistent style:
• improves the readability, and therefore, maintainability of code
• facilitates sharing of code among different programmers, especially teams of programmers work-
ing on the same project.
• allows easier development of automated tools to assist in program development, such as tools
which automatically format or pretty-print source code.
• makes it easier to conduct code reviews, another software engineering process with well-known
benefits. In turn, a practice of regular code reviews can help enforce a consistent style.
• saves development time, once the guidelines are learned, by allowing programmers to focus on
the semantics of the code, rather than spend time trying to determine what particular format is ap-
propriate for a given situation.
However, these standards are not meant to be rigidly enforced without exception. This document does not
cover all possible situations. Experience and informed judgement should be used wherever doubt exists.
Consistency of coding style is more important than using a particular style.
These standards are general, not specific to any particular project; project teams may choose to specify a
narrower set of additional guidelines for their project, which includes these guidelines as a subset.
This document has been updated to cover all features up to version 1.1 of the Java language.
1.1 Background
The guidelines presented here were not created in a vacuum. In the process of creating this document, the
author has scanned literally hundreds of thousands of lines of existing Java code to determine the styles
being used in current practice. As with most languages, the predominant style is heavily influenced by the
style of the original designers and early developers. As a result, for example, the JDK (about 600,000 lines
of Java source) already largely conforms to this style guide.
The author has also used his extensive experience with C and C++ coding style issues gained from several
years of programming as well as from authoring several previous style documents (such as [1]).
1.2 Acknowledgments
This document builds upon and borrows heavily from several sources listed in the References section at the
end of this document, but especially [1], [2], and [3].
The language terminology used here, as well as several suggested naming conventions, are taken directly
from [3].

2.0 Source Files

On file-based host implementations of Java, the compilation unit is a Java source file. A Java source file
should contain only one public class or interface definition, although it may it also contain any number of
non-public support classes or interfaces. Source files should be kept to less than 2000 lines. Files longer
than this become difficult to manage and maintain. Exceeding this limit is a good indication that the classes
or interfaces should probably be broken up into smaller, more manageable units.

Java Coding Style Guide 1 Introduction

 For all but the most trivial projects, source files should be kept under a version management system (such
as SCCS or RCS).
2.1 Source file naming
Java source file names are of the form:
ClassOrInterfaceName.java
Where ClassOrInterfaceName is exactly the name of the public class or interface defined in the source file
(and therefore, follows all the naming conventions for classes; see section 3.2 for more details). The file
name suffix is always.java except on systems that support only three-character extensions; on such sys-
tems, the suffix is.jav.
JAR (Java Archive) file names are of the form:
ArchiveName.jar
or
ArchiveName.zip

2.2 Source file organization

A Java source file should contain the following elements, in the following order:
1. Copyright/ID block comment
2. package declaration
3. import declarations
4. one or more class/interface declarations
At least one blank line should separate all of these elements.

2.2.1 Copyright/ID block comment

Every source file should start with a block comment containing version information and a standard copy-
right notice The version information should be in the following format:
@(#)module version date [firstname lastname]
This can be generated automatically by using the SCCS ID string:
%W% %E%
module is the name of the file. version is the source file version used by the version management system.
It is not necessarily the same as the class version number (see the @version tag in 5.1). date is the date
of the most recent modification. “firstname lastname” is an optional string identifying the creator of the file.
The copyright notice should contain at least the following line:
Copyright (c) yearlist CopyrightHolder. All Rights Reserved.
where yearlist is a year, a year range, or a comma-separated list of years for which the copyright ap-
plies. The SCCS keyword string %G% can be used in place of specifying the yearlist explicitly. SCCS
will fill in the year automatically upon check out, thereby eliminating the need to update the year list every
year. Additional legal text may need to be included depending on the situation. Consult your legal depart-
ment for exact text. Here is the minimal copyright/id block comment for software developed at Sun:

Java Coding Style Guide 2 Source Files

 /*
* %W% %E%
*
* Copyright (c) %G% Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
*/
2.2.2 package declaration
Every source file should contain a package declaration. Omitting the package declaration causes the types
to be part of an unnamed package, with implementation-defined semantics. The package statement should
start in column 1, and a single space should separate the keyword package from the package name. See
section 3.1 for rules on package naming. Example:
package java.lang;
2.2.3 import declarations
Import statements should start in column 1, and a single space should separate the keyword import from
the type name. Import statements should be grouped together by package name. A single blank line may be
used to separate groups of import statements. Within groups, import statements should be sorted lexically1.
Wildcard type-import-on-demand declarations (e.g. import java.util.*;) should not be used; use
fully qualified type names instead. There are several reasons for this:
• The most important reason is that someone can later add a new unexpected class file to the same pack-
age that you are importing. This new class can conflict with a type you are using from another pack-
age, thereby turning a previously correct program into an incorrect one without touching the program
itself.
• Explicit class imports clearly convey to a reader the exact classes that are being used (and which class-
es are not being used).
• Explicit class imports provide better compile performance. While type-import-on-demand declara-
tions are convenient for the programmer and save a little bit of time initially, this time is paid for in
increased compile time every time the file is compiled.
The -verbose flag in the javac compiler can be used to discover which types are actually being im-
ported, in order to convert type-import-on-demand declarations to fully qualified ones.

2.2.4 class/interface declarations

Following the import sections are one or more class declarations and/or interface declarations, collectively
referred to simply as type declarations. The number of type declarations per file should be kept small. There
should be at most one public type declaration per file. The public type, if any, should be the first type dec-
laration in the file.
Every public type declaration should be immediately preceded by a documentation comment describing its
function and parameters (using the @param tag). The description should be concise. Non-public type dec-
larations should also be preceded by a comment, but it need not be a documentation comment. See section
5.1 for more information about documentation comments.

3.0 Naming Conventions

The naming conventions specified here apply only to Java code written in the basic ASCII character set.
Terms such as “upper-case” are obviously meaningless for some Unicode character sets.

1. A tip for vi users: this can be accomplished easily by positioning the cursor on column 1 of the first import statement
and typing: !}sort<RETURN>

Java Coding Style Guide 3 Naming Conventions

3.1 Package naming
Generally, package names should use only lower-case letters and digits, and no underscore. Examples:
java.lang
java.awt.image
dinosaur.theropod.velociraptor
The unique package prefix scheme suggested in [3] should be used for packages that will be publically
distributed. In this scheme, a unique prefix is constructed by using the components of the internet domain
name of the host site in reverse order. The first component (top-level internet domain) is all upper-case, and
the remaining components of the prefix are in lower case. Example:
com.acmedonuts.graphics

3.2 Class/Interface naming

All type names (classes and interfaces) should use the InfixCaps style. Start with an upper-case letter, and
capitalize the first letter of any subsequent word in the name, as well as any letters that are part of an acro-
nym. All other characters in the name are lower-case. Do not use underscores to separate words. Class
names should be nouns or noun phrases. Interface names depend on the salient purpose of the interface. If
the purpose is primarily to endow an object with a particular capability, then the name should be an adjec-
tive (ending in -able or -ible if possible) that describes the capability; e.g., Searchable, Sort-
able, NetworkAccessible. Otherwise use nouns or noun phrases.
Examples:
// GOOD type names:
LayoutManager, AWTException, ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException

// BAD type names:

ManageLayout // verb phrase
awtException // first letter lower-case
array_index_out_of_bounds_exception // underscores
3.3 Field naming
Names of non-constant fields (reference types, or non-final primitive types) should use the infixCaps style.
Start with a lower-case letter, and capitalize the first letter of any subsequent word in the name, as well as
any letters that are part of an acronym. All other characters in the name are lower-case. Do not use under-
scores to separate words. The names should be nouns or noun phrases. Examples:
boolean resizable;
char recordDelimiter;

Names of fields being used as constants should be all upper-case, with underscores separating words. The
following are considered to be constants:
1. All static final primitive types (Remember that all interface fields are inherently static
final).
2. All static final object reference types that are never followed by "." (dot).
3. All static final arrays that are never followed by "[" (dot).
Examples:
MIN_VALUE, MAX_BUFFER_SIZE, OPTIONS_FILE_NAME
One-character field names should be avoided except for temporary and looping variables. In these cases,
use:
• b for a byte

Java Coding Style Guide 4 Naming Conventions

 • c for a char
• d for a double
• e for an Exception object
• f for a float
• g for a Graphics object
• i, j, k, m, n for integers
• p, q, r, s for String, StringBuffer, or char[] objects
An exception is where a strong convention for the one-character name exists, such as x and y for screen
coordinates.
Avoid variable l (“el”) because it is hard to distinguish it from 1 (“one”) on some printers and displays.
3.4 Method naming
Method names1 should use the infixCaps style. Start with a lower-case letter, and capitalize the first letter
of any subsequent word in the name, as well as any letters that are part of an acronym. All other characters
in the name are lower-case. Do not use underscores to separate words. Note that this is identical to the nam-
ing convention for non-constant fields; however, it should always be easy to distinguish the two from con-
text. Method names should be imperative verbs or verb phrases. Examples:
// GOOD method names:
showStatus(), drawCircle(), addLayoutComponent()

// BAD method names:

mouseButton() // noun phrase; doesn’t describe function
DrawCircle() // starts with upper-case letter
add_layout_component() // underscores

// The function of this method is unclear. Does it start the

// server running (better: startServer()), or test whether or not
// it is running (better: isServerRunning())?
serverRunning() // verb phrase, but not imperative
A method to get or set some property of the class should be called getProperty() or setProperty()
respectively, where Property is the name of the property. Examples:
getHeight(), setHeight()
A method to test some boolean property of the class should be called isProperty(), where Property
is the name of the property. Examples:
isResizable(), isVisible()

3.5 Local variable naming

Local variable follow the same naming rules as field names (see section 3.3).
3.6 Statement label naming
Statement labels can be targets of break or continue statements. They should be all lower-case, with
words separated by underscores. Even though the language allows it, do not use the same statement label
name more than once in the same method. See section 8.3 for the format of a labeled statement. Example:

1. In Java, constructors are not considered methods; constructors of course always have the same name as the class.

Java Coding Style Guide 5 Naming Conventions

 for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
search: {
for (int j = 0; j < n/2; j++) {
if (node[j].name == name)
break search;
}
for (int j = n/2; j < n; j++) {
if (node[j].name == name)
break search;
}
} // search
}

4.0 White Space Usage

4.1 Blank lines
Blank lines can improve readability by grouping sections of the code that are logically related. A blank line
should also be used in the following places:
1. After the copyright block comment, package declaration, and import section.
2. Between class declarations.
3. Between method declarations.
4. Between the last field declaration and the first method declaration in a class (see section 6.1).
5. Before a block or single-line comment, unless it is the first line in a block.
4.2 Blank spaces
4.2.1 A single blank space (not tab) should be used:
1. Between a keyword and its opening parenthesis. This applies to the following keywords: catch,
for, if, switch, synchronized, while. It does not apply to the keywords super and
this; these should never be followed by white space.
2. After any keyword that takes an argument. Example: return true;
3. Between two adjacent keywords.
4. Between a keyword or closing parenthesis, and an opening brace “{”.
5. Before and after binary operators1 except .(dot). Note that instanceof is a binary operator:
if (obj instanceof Button) { // RIGHT
if (obj instanceof(Button)) { // WRONG
6. After a comma in a list.
7. After the semi-colons in a for statement, e.g.:
for (expr1; expr2; expr3) {
4.2.2 Blanks should not be used:
1. Between a method name and its opening parenthesis.

1. Some judgement is called for in the case of complex expressions, which may be clearer if the “inner” operators are not
surrounded by spaces and the “outer” ones are.

Java Coding Style Guide 6 White Space Usage

 2. Before or after a .(dot) operator.
3. Between a unary operator and its operand.
4. Between a cast and the expression being casted.
5. After an opening parenthesis or before a closing parenthesis.
6. After an opening square bracket [ or before a closing square bracket ].
Examples:
a += c[i + j] + (int)d + foo(bar(i + j), e);
a = (a + b) / (c * d);
if (((x + y) > (z + w)) || (a != (b + 3))) {
return foo.distance(x, y);
}
Do not use special characters like form-feeds or backspaces.

4.3 Indentation
Line indentation is always 4 spaces1, for all indentation levels.
The construction of the indentation may include tabs as well as spaces in order to reduce the file size; how-
ever, you may not change the hard tab settings to accomplish this. Hard tabs must be set every 8 spaces
Note: If this rule was not followed, tabs could not be used because they would lack a well-
defined meaning.
4.4 Continuation lines
Lines should be limited to 80 columns (but not necessarily 80 bytes, for non-ASCII encodings). Lines long-
er than 80 columns should be broken into one or more continuation lines, as needed. All the continuation
lines should be aligned, and indented from the first line of the statement. The amount of the indentation
depends on the type of statement.
If the statement must be broken in the middle of a parenthesized expression, such as for compound state-
ments, or for the parameter list in a method invocation or declaration, the next line should be aligned with
the first character to the right of the first unmatched left parenthesis in the previous line. In all other cases,
the continuation lines should be indented by a full standard indentation (4 spaces). If the next statement
after a continuation line is indented by the same amount as the continuation line, then a single blank line
should immediately follow the opening brace to avoid confusing it with the continuation line. It is accept-
able to break a long line sooner than absolutely necessary, especially if it improves readability.
Examples:
// RIGHT
foo(long_expression1, long_expression2, long_expression3,
long_expression4);
// RIGHT
foo(long_expression1,
long_expression2,
long_expression3,
long_expression4);

1. This is a difference from the predominant indentation style of 8 spaces used in C programs; it is an acknowledgment
that typical Java programs tend to have more levels of nesting than typical C programs.

Java Coding Style Guide 7 White Space Usage

 // RIGHT - blank line follows continuation line because same indent
if (long_logical_test_1 || long_logical_test_2 ||
long_logical_test_3) {

statements;
}

A continuation line should never start with a binary operator. Never break a line where normally no white
space appears, such as between a method name and its opening parenthesis, or between an array name and
its opening square bracket. Never break a line just before an opening brace “{”. Examples:
// WRONG
while (long_expression1 || long_expression2 || long_expression3)
{
}

// RIGHT
while (long_expression1 || long_expression2 ||
long_expression3) {
}

5.0 Comments
Java supports three kinds of comments: documentation, block, and single-line comments. These are de-
scribed separately in the subsequent sections below. Here are some general guidelines for comment usage:
• Comments should help a reader understand the purpose of the code. They should guide the reader
through the flow of the program, focusing especially on areas which might be confusing or obscure.
• Avoid comments that are obvious from the code, as in this famously bad comment example:
i = i + 1; // Add one to i
• Remember that misleading comments are worse than no comments at all.
• Avoid putting any information into comments that is likely to become out-of-date.
• Avoid enclosing comments in boxes drawn with asterisks or other fancy typography.
• Temporary comments that are expected to be changed or removed later should be marked with the spe-
cial tag “XXX:” so that they can easily be found afterwards. Ideally, all temporary comments should
have been removed by the time a program is ready to be shipped. Example:
// XXX: Change this to call sort() when the bugs in it are fixed
list->mySort();
For further extensive guidance in proper comment usage, see references [11] and [13].
5.1 Documentation comments
Java has support for special comments documenting types (classes and interfaces), fields (variables), con-
structors, and methods, hereafter referred to collectively as declared entities (see section 6.1.2 for guide-
lines on which declared entities should have documentation comments). The javadoc program can then
be used to automatically extract these comments and generate formatted HTML pages.
A documentation comment should immediately precede the declared entity, with no blank lines in between.
The first line of the comment should be simply the characters /** with no other text on the line, and should
be aligned with the following declared entity. Subsequent lines consist of an asterisk, followed by a single
space, followed by comment text, and aligned with the first asterisk of the first line. The first sentence of
the comment text is special, and should be a self-contained summary sentence. A sentence is defined as text

Java Coding Style Guide 8 Comments

 up to the first period that is followed by a space, tab, or new-line. Subsequent sentences further describe
the declared entity.
The comment text can include embedded HTML tags for better formatting, with the exceptions of the fol-
lowing tags: <H1>, <H2>, <H3>, <H4>, <H5>, <H6>, <HR>.
Following the comment text are the documentation tag lines. A documentation comment should include all
the tags that are appropriate for the declared entity.
Class and interface comments can use the @version, @author, and @see tags, in that order. If there
are multiple authors, use a separate @author tag for each one. Required tags: none.
Constructor comments can use the @param, @exception, and @see tags, in that order. Required tags:
one @param tag for each parameter, and one @exception tag for each exception thrown.
Method comments can use the @param, @return, @exception, and @see tags, in that order. Re-
quired tags: one @param tag for each parameter, one @return tag if the return type is not void, and one
@exception tag for each exception thrown.
Variable comments can use only the @see tag. Required tags: none.
All of the above can also use the @deprecated tag to indicate the item might be removed in a future
release, and to discourage its continued use.
A documentation comment ends with the characters */. It is also acceptable to end the comment with the
characters **/ to aid in visual identification of the documentation comment.
This is an example of a documentation comment for a method.:
/**
* Checks a object for “coolness”. Performs a comprehensive
* coolness analysis on the object. An object is cool if it
* inherited coolness from its parent; however, an object can
* also establish coolness in its own right.
*
* @param obj the object to check for coolness
* @param name the name of the object
* @return true if the object is cool; false otherwise.
* @exception OutOfMemoryError If there is not enough memory to
* determine coolness.
* @exception SecurityException If the security manager cannot be
* created
* @see isUncool
* @see isHip
**/
public boolean isCool(Object obj, String name)
throws OutOfMemoryError, SecurityException {

5.2 Block comments

A regular block comment is a traditional “C-style” comment. It starts with the characters /* and ends
with the characters */.
A block comment is always used for the copyright/ID comment at the beginning of each source file (see
section 2.2.1). It is also used to “comment out” several lines of code. Since block comments do not nest,
their use in other parts of the source code would make it difficult to comment out code. Hence, the use of
block comments other than for the copyright/ID comment and commenting out code is strongly dis-
couraged.

Java Coding Style Guide 9 Comments

5.3 Single-line comments
A single-line comment consists of the characters // followed by comment text. There is always a single
space between the // and the comment text. A single line comment must be at the same indentation
level as the code that follows it. More than one single-line comment can be grouped together to make a
larger comment. A single-line comment or comment group should always be preceded by a blank line, un-
less it is the first line in a block. If the comment applies to a group of several following statements, then the
comment or comment group should also be followed by a blank line. If it applies only to the next statement
(which may be a compound statement), then do not follow it with a blank line. Example:
// Traverse the linked list, searching for a match
for (Node node = head; node.next != null; node = node.next) {
Single-line comments can also be used as trailing comments. Trailing comments are similar to single-line
comments except they appear on the same line as the code they describe. At least one space should separate
that last non-white space character in the statement, and the trailing comment. If more than one trailing
comment appears in a block of code, they should all be aligned to the same column. Example:
if (!isVisible())
return; // nothing to do

length++; // reserve space for null terminator

Avoid the assembly language style of commenting every line of executable code with a trailing comment.

6.0 Classes
A class declaration looks like the following. Elements in square brackets [] are optional.
[ClassModifiers] class ClassName [Inheritances] {
ClassBody
}

ClassModifiers are any combination of the following keywords, in this order:

public abstract final
Inheritances are any combination of the following phrases, in this order:
extends SuperClass
implements Interfaces
SuperClass is the name of a superclass. Interfaces is the name of an interface, or a comma-separated list
of interfaces. If more than one interface is given, then they should be sorted in lexical order.
A class declaration always starts in column 1. All of the above elements of the class declaration up to and
including the opening brace “{” should appear on a single line (unless it is necessary to break it up into
continuation lines if it exceeds the allowable line length). The ClassBody is indented by the standard in-
dentation of four spaces. The closing brace “}” appears on its own line in column 1. There should not be a
semi-colon following the closing brace. If the class declaration has one or more continuation lines, then a
single blank line should immediately follow the opening brace.
Example:

Java Coding Style Guide 10 Classes

 // Long class declaration that requires 2 continuation lines.
// Notice the opening brace is immediately followed by a blank line.
public abstract class VeryLongNameOfTheClassBeingDefined
extends VeryLongNameOfTheSuperClassBeingExtended
implements Interface1, Interface2, Interface3, Interface4 {

static private String buf[256];

}

6.1 Class body organization

The body of a class declaration should be organized in the following order1:
1. Static variable field declarations
Data
2. Instance variable field declarations
3. Static initializer
Code
4. Static member inner class declarations
5. Static method declarations
6. Instance initializer
7. Instance constructor declarations
8. Instance member inner class declarations
9. Instance method declarations
These three elements, fields, constructors, and methods, are collectively referred to as “members”.
Within each numbered group above, sort in lexical order.

6.1.1 Member access levels

Note that there are four access levels for class members in Java: public, protected, default, and
private, in order of decreasing accessibility2. In general, a member should be given the lowest access
level which is appropriate for the member. For example, a member which is only accessed by classes in the
same package should be set to default access. Also, declaring a lower access level will often give the com-
piler increased opportunities for optimization. On the other hand, use of private makes it difficult to ex-
tend the class by sub-classing. If there is reason to believe the class might be sub-classed in the future, then
members that might be needed by sub-classes should be declared protected instead of private.

6.1.2 Member documentation comments

All public members must be preceded by a documentation comment. Protected and default access members
may have a documentation comment as well, at the programmer’s discretion. Private fields should not have
a documentation comment. However, all fields that do not have documentation comments should have sin-
gle-line comments describing them, if their function is not obvious from the name.

6.1.3 Class and instance variable field declarations

Class variable field declarations, if any, come first. Class variables are those fields which have the keyword
static in their declarations. Instance variable field declarations, if any, come next. Instance variables are
those which do not have the keyword static in their declarations. A field declaration looks like the fol-
lowing. Elements in square brackets “[]” are optional.

1. It is tempting to want to group these declarations together by access level; i.e., group all the public members together,
then all the default access member, then all the protected members, etc. However, static/non-static is a more important
conceptual distinction than access level. Also, there are so many different access levels in Java that it becomes too con-
fusing, and does not work well in practice.
2. The private protected access level is obsolete and should not be used.

Java Coding Style Guide 11 Classes

 [FieldModifiers] Type FieldName [= Initializer];
FieldModifiers are any legal combination of the following keywords, in this order:
public protected private static final transient volatile
Always put field declarations on separate line; do not group them together on a single line:
static private int useCount, index; // WRONG
static private int useCount; // RIGHT
static private long index; // RIGHT
A field which is never changed after initialization should be declared final. This not only serves as use-
ful documentation to the reader, but also allows the compiler to generate more efficient code. It is also a
good idea to align the field names so that they all start in the same column.

6.1.4 Static initializer

A static initializer, if any, comes next. It is called when the class is first referenced, before any constructors
are called. It is useful for initializing blank static final fields (static final fields not initialized at point of
declaration). There should at most one static initializer per class. It has the following form:
static {
statements;
}
6.1.5 Static member inner class declarations
Static inner (nested) classes which pertain to a class as a whole rather than any particular instance, if any,
come next:
public class Outer {
static class Inner { // static inner class
}
}
6.1.6 Static method declarations
Any static methods come next. A static method follows the same rules as instance methods. See section 6.2
below for the format of method declarations. Note that main() is a static method.

6.1.7 Instance initializer

An instance (non-static) initializer, if any, comes next. If present, it is called from every constructor after
any calls to super-class constructors. It is useful for initializing blank final fields (final fields not initialized
at point of declaration), and for initializing anonymous inner classes since they cannot declare constructors.
There should be at most one instance initializer per class:
// Instance initializer
{
statements;
}
6.1.8 Constructor declarations
Constructor declarations, if any, come next. All of the elements of the constructor declaration up to and
including the opening brace “{” should appear on a single line (unless it is necessary to break it up into
continuation lines if it exceeds the allowable line length). Example:

Java Coding Style Guide 12 Classes

 /**
* Constructs a new empty FooBar.
*/
public FooBar() {
value = new char[0];
}
If there is more than one constructor, sort them lexically by formal parameter list, with constructors having
more parameters always coming after those with fewer parameters. This implies that a constructor with no
arguments (if it exists) is always the first one.

6.1.9 Instance method declarations

Instance method declarations, if any, come next. Instance methods are those which do not have the keyword
static in their declarations. See section 6.2 below for the format of method declarations.
6.2 Method declarations
All of the elements of a method declaration up to and including the opening brace “{” should appear on a
single line (unless it is necessary to break it up into continuation lines if it exceeds the allowable line
length). A method declaration looks like the following. Elements in square brackets “{” are optional.
[MethodModifiers] Type MethodName(Parameters) [throws Exceptions] {
MethodModifiers are any combination of the following phrases, in this order:
public protected private abstract static final synchronized native
Exceptions is the name of an exception, or a comma-separated list of exceptions. If more than one excep-
tion is given, then they should be sorted in lexical order.
Parameters is the list of formal parameter declarations. Parameters may be declared final in order to
make the compiler enforce that the parameter is not changed in the body of the method, as well as to provide
useful documentation to the reader. Parameters must be declared final in order to make them available to
local inner classes.
A method that will never be overridden by a sub-class should be declared final. This allows the compiler
to generate more efficient code. Methods that are private, or declared in a class that is final, are im-
plicitly final; however, in these cases the method should still be explicitly declared final for clarity.
Methods are sorted in lexical order, with one exception: if there is a finalize() method, it should be
the very last method declaration in the class. This makes it easy to quickly see whether a class has a fi-
nalize() method or not. If possible, a finalize() method should call super.finalize() as
the last action it performs. If the method declaration has one or more continuation lines, then a single blank
line should immediately follow the opening brace.
Examples:

Java Coding Style Guide 13 Classes

 // Long method declaration that requires a continuation line.
// Note the opening brace is immediately followed by a blank line.
public static final synchronized long methodName()
throws ArithmeticException, InterruptedException {

static int count;

}

// Line broken in the middle of a parameter list

// Align just after left parenthesis
public boolean imageUpdate(Image img, int infoflags,
int x, int y, int w, int h) {
int i;
}

6.3 Local inner classes

Inner (nested) classes may be declared local to a method. This makes the inner class unavailable to any oth-
er method in the enclosing class. They follow the same format rules as top-level classes:
Enumeration enumerate() {
class Enum implements Enumeration {
}

return new Enum();

}
6.4 Anonymous inner classes
Anonymous classes can be used when then following conditions are met:
1. The class is referred to directly in only one place.
2. The class definition is simple, and contains only a few lines.
In all other cases, use named classes (inner or not) instead.
AWT Listeners are a common case where anonymous classes are appropriate. In many such cases, the only
purpose of the class is simply to call another method to do most of the work of handling an event.
Anonymous inner classes follow similar rules as named classes; however there are a few rules specific to
anonymous classes:
• When possible, the whole new expression, consisting of the new operator, the type name, and opening
brace, should appear on the same line as the expression of which it is a part. If it does not fit on the
line, then the whole new expression should moved to the next line as a unit.
• The body of the anonymous class should be indented by the normal indentation from the beginning of
the line that contains the new expression.
• The closing brace should not be on a line by itself, but should be followed whatever tokens are required
by the rest of the expression. Usually, this means the closing brace is followed by at least a semi-colon,
closing parenthesis, or comma. The closing brace is indented to the same level as the line containing
the new expression. There is no space immediately following the closing brace.
Examples:

Java Coding Style Guide 14 Classes

 // Anonymous class inside a return expression
Enumeration myEnumerate(final Object array[]) {
return new Enumeration() { // new on same line
int count = 0;
public boolean hasMoreElements() {
return count < array.length;
}
public Object nextElement() {
return array[count++];
}
}; // } followed by ;
}

// Anonymous class inside a parenthesized expression

helpButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
showHelp();
}
}); // } followed by );

6.5 Anonymous array expressions and array initializers

Anonymous arrays can be used wherever an array value is needed. If the entire anonymous array expres-
sion fits on one line, then it is acceptable to place it on a single line. Otherwise, there should be one initial-
izer per line, with the same rules as for anonymous inner classes (see section 6.4). The same rules also
apply to array initializers in array declarations.
// Example where entire array expression fits on one line
Polygon p = new Polygon(new int[] {0, 1, 2},
new int[] {10, 11, 12},
3);

// Example with one array initializer per line

String errorMessages[] = {
"No such file or directory",
"Unable to open file",
"Unmatched parentheses in expression"
};

// Example of embedded anonymous array expression

createMenuItems(new menuItemLabels[] {
"Open",
"Save",
"Save As...",
"Quit",
});

7.0 Interfaces
Interfaces follows a similar style to classes. An interface declaration looks like the following. Elements in
square brackets “[]” are optional.
[public] interface InterfaceName [extends SuperInterfaces] {
InterfaceBody
}

SuperInterfaces is the name of an interface, or a comma-separated list of interfaces. If more than one in-
terface is given, then they should be sorted in lexical order.

Java Coding Style Guide 15 Interfaces

 An interface declaration always starts in column 1. All of the above elements of the interface declaration
up to and include the opening brace “{” should appear on a single line (unless it is necessary to break it up
into continuation lines if it exceeds the allowable line length). The InterfaceBody is indented by the stan-
dard indentation of four spaces. The closing brace “}” appears on its own line in column 1.There should
not be a semi-colon following the closing brace.
All interfaces are inherently abstract; do not explicitly include this keyword in the declaration of an
interface.
All interface fields are inherently public, static, and final; do not explicitly include these keywords
in the declaration of an interface field.
All interface methods are inherently public and abstract; do not explicitly include these keywords in
the declaration of an interface method.
Except as otherwise noted, interface declarations follow the same style guidelines as classes (section 6.0).
7.1 Interface body organization
The body of an interface declaration should be organized in the following order:
1. Interface constant field declarations.
2. Interface method declarations
The declaration styles of interface fields and methods are identical to the styles for class fields and methods.

8.0 Statements
8.1 Simple statements
8.1.1 Assignment and expression statements
Each line should contain at most one statement. For example,
a = b + c; count++; // WRONG
a = b + c; // RIGHT
count++; // RIGHT
8.1.2 Local variable declarations
Generally local variable declarations should be on separate lines; however, an exception is allowable for
temporary variables that do not require initializers. For example,
int i, j = 4, k; // WRONG
int i, k; // acceptable
int j = 4; // RIGHT
Local variables may be declared final in order to make the compiler enforce that the variable is not
changed after initialization, as well as to provide useful documentation to the reader. Local variables must
be declared final in order to make them available to local inner classes.

8.1.3 Array declarations

The brackets “[]” in array declarations should immediately follow the array name, not the type. The ex-
ception is for method return values, where there is no separate name; in this case the brackets immediately
follow the type:
char[] buf; // WRONG
char buf[]; // RIGHT
String[] getNames() { // RIGHT, method return value

Java Coding Style Guide 16 Statements

 There should never be a space before the opening bracket “[”.

8.1.4 return statement

Do not use parentheses around the value to be returned unless it is a complex expression:
return(true); // WRONG

return true; // RIGHT

return (s.length() + s.offset); // RIGHT

8.2 Compound statements

8.2.1 Braces style
Compound statements are statements that contain a statement block enclosed in “{}” braces. All com-
pound statements follow the same braces style; namely, the style commonly known as the “K & R” braces
style. This includes interface, class and method declarations. This style is specified as follows:
1. The opening left brace is at the end of the line beginning the compound statement.
2. The closing right brace is alone on a line, indented to the same column as the beginning of the com-
pound statement.
3. The statements inside the enclosed braces are indented one more level than the compound statement.

8.2.2 Allowed exception to braces rule

In cases where the language allows it, the braces may be omitted when both of the following are true:
1. The statement block consists of the null statement “;”, or a single simple (not compound) statement.
2. There are no continuation lines.
However, it is preferred to use braces in all cases.
The rules on how to format particular compound statements are described below.

Java Coding Style Guide 17 Statements

8.2.3 if statement
if (condition) {
statements;
}

if (condition) {
statements;
} else {
statements;
}

if (condition) {
statements;
} else if (condition) {
statements;
} else {
statements;
}
8.2.4 for statement
for (initialization; condition; update) {
statements;
}
8.2.5 while statement
while (condition) {
statements;
}
For “infinite” loops, use the following rather than “for (;;) { ... }” :
while (true) {
statements;
}
8.2.6 do-while statement
do {
statements;
} while (condition);
8.2.7 switch statement
switch (condition) {
case 1:
case 2:
statements;
break;

case 3:
statements;
break;

default:
statements;
break;
}

Java Coding Style Guide 18 Statements

8.2.8 try statement
try {
statements;
} catch (exception-declaration) {
statements;
}

try {
statements;
} finally {
statements;
}

try {
statements;
} catch (exception-declaration) {
statements;
} finally {
statements;
}
8.2.9 synchronized statement
synchronized (expression) {
statements;
}
8.3 Labeled statements
Labeled statements should always be enclosed in braces “{}”. The label itself should be indented to the
normal indentation level, followed by a colon, single space, and opening brace. The closing brace should
have a trailing comment on the same line with the label repeated:
statement-label: {
} // statement-label

Java Coding Style Guide 19 Statements

 References
[1] Reddy, A., “C++ Style Guide”, Sun Internal Paper

[2] Plocher, J., Byrne, S., Vinoski, S., “C++ Programming Style With Rationale”, Sun Internal

[3] Gosling, J., Joy, B., Steele, G., “The Java Language Specification”, Addison-Wesley, 1996

[4] Skinner, G., Shah, S., Shannon, B., “C Style and Coding Standards”, Sun Internal Paper,
Token 2151, Sun Electronic Library, 1990.

[5] “Java Beans 1.0 Specification”, JavaSoft, October 1996

[6] Pike, R., “Notes on Programming in C”, Bell Labs technical paper.

[7] Cannon, L., Spencer, H., Keppel, D., et al, “Recommend C Style and Coding Standards”,
updated version of “Indian Hill C Style and Coding Standards”, AT&T internal technical
paper.

[8] Goldsmith, D., Palevich, J., “Unofficial C++ Style Guide”, develop, April 1990.

[9] “Inner Classes Specification”, JavaSoft, 1997

[10] ISO Standard 3166, 1981

[11] Baecker, R., Marcus, A., Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs,
ACM Press, 1990, especially Appendix C: An Essay on Comments.

[12] Kernighan, B., Ritchie, D., The C Programming Language, Prentice-Hall, 1978

[13] McConnell, Steven, Code Complete, Microsoft Press, 1993, Chapter 19: Self-Documenting
Code

[14] Flanagan, David, JAVA in a Nutshell, O’Reilly & Associates, 1997, Chapter 5 - Inner
Classes and Other New Language Features

Java Coding Style Guide 20 References

 Appendix A - Java Coding Style Example
/*
* @(#)CodingStyleExample.java 1.0 98/01/23 Achut Reddy
*
* Copyright (c) 1994-1998 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
*/

package com.sun.examples;

import java.applet.Applet;
import java.awt.Point;

/**
* A class to demonstrate good coding style.
*/
public class CodingStyleExample extends Applet implements Runnable {

static final int BUFFER_SIZE = 4096; // default buffer size

StringBuffer name; // my name
Point starshipCoordinates[]; // ship locations

/**
* Compute the total distance between a set of Points.
* @param starshipCoordinates the locations of all known starships
* @param numberOfPoints the number of points in the array
* @return the total distance
*/
public int computeDistances(Point starshipCoordinates[],
int numberOfPoints) throws Exception {
int distance = 0; // accumulates distances

// Compute distance to each starship and add it to the total

for (int i = 0; i < numberOfPoints; i++) {
distance += Math.sqrt((double)((starshipCoordinates[i].x *
starshipCoordinates[i].x) +
(starshipCoordinates[i].y *
starshipCoordinates[i].y)));
}

if (distance > 100000) {

throw new Exception();
}

return distance;
}

/**
* Called whenever Thread.start() is called for this class
*/
public void run() {
try {
name.append("X");
System.out.println(name);
} catch (Exception e) {
name = new StringBuffer(BUFFER_SIZE);
}
}
}
 Appendix B - Java Coding Style Quick Reference Sheet

Naming Conventions

GOOD Examples BAD Examples

source files *.java MessageFormat.java MessageFormat.jv

JAR files *.jar, *.zip, all lower-case classes.zip, icons.jar Icons.JAR

packages lower-case, digits, no “_” com.sun.sunsoft.util COM.Sun.SunSoft.Util

classes InfixCaps LayoutManager layout_manager,

nouns ManageLayout

interfaces InfixCaps Searchable, Searching,

adjectives(“-able”), nouns Transferable Data_Transfer

variable fields infixCaps, nouns recordDelimiter, RecordDelimiter,

(booleans: adjectives) resizable record_delimiter

static final fields ALL_CAPS MAX_BUFFER_SIZE, COMMA max_buffer_size

methods infixCaps, imperative verbs, showStatus(), add_component()

getProp(), setProp(), isProp() isResizable()

statement labels lower_case name_loop Nameloop

Line length 80 characters

Indentation Four spaces, for all indentation levels.

Braces style “K&R” braces style: class declarations, method declarations, block statements, array initializers

Blank lines Before: a block or single-line comment, unless it is the first line in a block
Between: class or method declarations; last variable declaration and first method declaration.
After: copyright/ID comment, package declaration, import section

Blank spaces Before: binary operators except . (dot)

Between: a keyword and “(” or “{”; two adjacent keywords;
After: binary operators except . (dot); any keyword that takes an argument

File layout copyright/ID comment,

package declaration
import statements
public class definition
other class definitions

Class layout Static variables, Instance variables,

Static initializer, Static inner class members, Static methods,
Instance initializer, Instance constructors, Instance inner classes, Instance methods

Order of class modifiers public abstract final

Order of inheritances extends implements

Order of method modifiers public protected private abstract static final synchronized native

Java Coding Style Guide 23 Statements