JAVA
JAVA
JAVA
Developed by Sun Microsystems in 1995, Java is a highly popular, object-oriented programming language. This
platform independent programming language is utilized for Android development, web development, artificial
intelligence, cloud applications, and much more. It is owned by Oracle, and more than 3 billion devices run Java.
It is used for:
• Mobile applications (specially Android apps)
• Desktop applications
• Web applications
• Web servers and application servers
• Games
• Database connection
• And much, much more!
To check if you have Java installed on a Windows PC, search in the start bar for Java or type the following in Command
Prompt (cmd.exe):
C:\Users\Your Name>java -version
If Java is installed, you will see something like this (depending on version):
If you do not have Java installed on your computer, you can download it for free at oracle.com.
It is possible to write Java in a text editor of your choice and also in an Integrated Development Environment, such as
IntelliJ IDEA, Netbeans or Eclipse, which are particularly useful when managing larger collections of Java files.
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Step 5
If Java was successfully installed, you will see something like this (depending on version):
Java Quickstart
In Java, every application begins with a class name, and that class must match the filename. Let's create our first Java
file, called Main.java, which can be done in any text editor (like Notepad). The file should contain a "Hello World"
message, which is written with the following code:
Main.java
Save the code in Notepad as "Main.java". Open Command Prompt (cmd.exe), navigate to the directory where you
saved your file, and type "javac Main.java":
This will compile your code. If there are no errors in the code, the command prompt will take you to the next line.
Now, type "java Main" to run the file:
Hello World
The main() method is required and you will see it in every Java program:
Any code inside the main() method will be executed. Don't worry about the keywords before and after main. You
will get to know them bit by bit while reading this tutorial.
For now, just remember that every Java program has a class name which must match the filename, and that every
program must contain the main() method.
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System.out.println()
Inside the main() method, we can use the println() method to print a line of text to the screen:
You can add as many println() methods as you want. Note that it will add a new line for each method:
Example
System.out.println("Hello World!");
System.out.println("I am learning Java.");
System.out.println("It is awesome!");
Print Numbers
Example
System.out.println(3);
System.out.println(358);
System.out.println(50000);
You can also perform mathematical calculations inside the println() method:
Example
System.out.println(3 + 3);
Example
System.out.println(2 * 5);
Java Comments
Comments can be used to explain Java code, and to make it more readable. It can also be used to prevent execution
when testing alternative code.
Single-line Comments
Any text between // and the end of the line is ignored by Java (will not be executed).
Example
// This is a comment
System.out.println("Hello World");
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This example uses a single-line comment at the end of a line of code:
Example
System.out.println("Hello World"); // This is a comment
This example uses a multi-line comment (a comment block) to explain the code:
Example
/* The code below will print the words Hello World
to the screen, and it is amazing */
System.out.println("Hello World");
Java Variables
• String - stores text, such as "Hello". String values are surrounded by double quotes
• int - stores integers (whole numbers), without decimals, such as 123 or -123
• float - stores floating point numbers, with decimals, such as 19.99 or -19.99
• char - stores single characters, such as 'a' or 'B'. Char values are surrounded by single quotes
• boolean - stores values with two states: true or false
To create a variable, you must specify the type and assign it a value:
Syntax
type variableName = value;
Where type is one of Java's types (such as int or String), and variableName is the name of the variable (such as x
or name). The equal sign is used to assign values to the variable.
To create a variable that should store text, look at the following example:
Example
Create a variable called name of type String and assign it the value "John":
To create a variable that should store a number, look at the following example:
Example
Create a variable called myNum of type int and assign it the value 15:
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int myNum = 15;
System.out.println(myNum);
You can also declare a variable without assigning the value, and assign the value later:
Example
int myNum;
myNum = 15;
System.out.println(myNum);
Note that if you assign a new value to an existing variable, it will overwrite the previous value:
Example
Final Variables
If you don't want others (or yourself) to overwrite existing values, use the final keyword (this will declare the
variable as "final" or "constant", which means unchangeable and read-only):
Example
final int myNum = 15;
myNum = 20; // will generate an error: cannot assign a value to a final
variable
Other Types
Example
int myNum = 5;
float myFloatNum = 5.99f;
char myLetter = 'D';
boolean myBool = true;
String myText = "Hello";
Display Variables
Example
String name = "John";
System.out.println("Hello " + name);
You can also use the + character to add a variable to another variable:
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Example
String firstName = "John ";
String lastName = "Doe";
String fullName = firstName + lastName;
System.out.println(fullName);
For numeric values, the + character works as a mathematical operator (notice that we use int (integer) variables
here):
Example
int x = 5;
int y = 6;
System.out.println(x + y); // Print the value of x + y
To declare more than one variable of the same type, you can use a comma-separated list:
Example
Instead of writing:
int x = 5;
int y = 6;
int z = 50;
System.out.println(x + y + z);
int x = 5, y = 6, z = 50;
System.out.println(x + y + z);
You can also assign the same value to multiple variables in one line:
Example
int x, y, z;
x = y = z = 50;
System.out.println(x + y + z);
Identifiers
Identifiers can be short names (like x and y) or more descriptive names (age, sum, totalVolume).
Note: It is recommended to use descriptive names in order to create understandable and maintainable code:
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Example
// Good
int minutesPerHour = 60;
As explained in the previous chapter, a variable in Java must be a specified data type:
Example
int myNum = 5; // Integer (whole number)
float myFloatNum = 5.99f; // Floating point number
char myLetter = 'D'; // Character
boolean myBool = true; // Boolean
String myText = "Hello"; // String
• Primitive data types - includes byte, short, int, long, float, double, boolean and char
• Non-primitive data types - such as String, Arrays and Classes (you will learn more about these in a later
chapter)
A primitive data type specifies the size and type of variable values, and it has no additional methods.
Java Operators
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Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.
In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two values:
Example
int x = 100 + 50;
Although the + operator is often used to add together two values, like in the example above, it can also be used to add
together a variable and a value, or a variable and another variable:
Example
int sum1 = 100 + 50; // 150 (100 + 50)
int sum2 = sum1 + 250; // 400 (150 + 250)
int sum3 = sum2 + sum2; // 800 (400 + 400)
• Arithmetic operators
• Assignment operators
• Comparison operators
• Logical operators
• Bitwise operators
Arithmetic Operators
In the example below, we use the assignment operator (=) to assign the value 10 to a variable called x:
Example
int x = 10;
Example
int x = 10;
x += 5;
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A list of all assignment operators:
Comparison operators are used to compare two values (or variables). This is important in programming, because it
helps us to find answers and make decisions.
The return value of a comparison is either true or false. These values are known as Boolean values, and you will
learn more about them in the Booleans and If..Else chapter.
In the following example, we use the greater than operator (>) to find out if 5 is greater than 3:
Example
int x = 5;
int y = 3;
System.out.println(x > y); // returns true, because 5 is higher than 3
You can also test for true or false values with logical operators.
Logical operators are used to determine the logic between variables or values:
! Logical not Reverse the result, returns false if the result is true !(x < 5 && x < 10)
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Java Strings
Example
String Length
A String in Java is actually an object, which contain methods that can perform certain operations on strings. For
example, the length of a string can be found with the length() method:
Example
String txt = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
System.out.println("The length of the txt string is: " + txt.length());
There are many string methods available, for example toUpperCase() and toLowerCase():
Example
String txt = "Hello World";
System.out.println(txt.toUpperCase()); // Outputs "HELLO WORLD"
System.out.println(txt.toLowerCase()); // Outputs "hello world"
The indexOf() method returns the index (the position) of the first occurrence of a specified text in a string
(including whitespace):
Example
String txt = "Please locate where 'locate' occurs!";
System.out.println(txt.indexOf("locate")); // Outputs 7
String Concatenation
The + operator can be used between strings to combine them. This is called concatenation:
Example
String firstName = "John";
String lastName = "Doe";
System.out.println(firstName + " " + lastName);
Note that we have added an empty text (" ") to create a space between firstName and lastName on print.
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You can also use the concat() method to concatenate two strings:
Example
String firstName = "John ";
String lastName = "Doe";
System.out.println(firstName.concat(lastName));
WARNING!
Example
int x = 10;
int y = 20;
int z = x + y; // z will be 30 (an integer/number)
Example
String x = "10";
String y = "20";
String z = x + y; // z will be 1020 (a String)
If you add a number and a string, the result will be a string concatenation:
Example
String x = "10";
int y = 20;
String z = x + y; // z will be 1020 (a String)
Because strings must be written within quotes, Java will misunderstand this string, and generate an error:
String txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings" from the north.";
The solution to avoid this problem, is to use the backslash escape character.
The backslash (\) escape character turns special characters into string characters:
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The sequence \' inserts a single quote in a string:
Example
String txt = "It\'s alright.";
Example
String txt = "The character \\ is called backslash.";
Code Result
\n New Line
\r Carriage Return
\t Tab
\b Backspace
\f Form Feed
Java Math
The Java Math class has many methods that allows you to perform mathematical tasks on numbers.
Math.max(x,y)
The Math.max(x,y) method can be used to find the highest value of x and y:
Example
Math.max(5, 10);
Math.min(x,y)
The Math.min(x,y) method can be used to find the lowest value of x and y:
Example
Math.min(5, 10);
Math.sqrt(x)
Example
Math.sqrt(64);
Math.abs(x)
Example
Math.abs(-4.7);
Random Numbers
Math.random() returns a random number between 0.0 (inclusive), and 1.0 (exclusive):
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Example
Math.random();
To get more control over the random number, for example, if you only want a random number between 0 and 100, you
can use the following formula:
Example
int randomNum = (int)(Math.random() * 101); // 0 to 100
Java Booleans
Very often, in programming, you will need a data type that can only have one of two values, like:
• YES / NO
• ON / OFF
• TRUE / FALSE
For this, Java has a boolean data type, which can store true or false values.
Boolean Values
A boolean type is declared with the boolean keyword and can only take the values true or false:
Example
boolean isJavaFun = true;
boolean isFishTasty = false;
System.out.println(isJavaFun); // Outputs true
System.out.println(isFishTasty); // Outputs false
However, it is more common to return boolean values from boolean expressions, for conditional testing (see below).
Boolean Expression
For example, you can use a comparison operator, such as the greater than (>) operator, to find out if an expression
(or a variable) is true or false:
Example
int x = 10;
int y = 9;
System.out.println(x > y); // returns true, because 10 is higher than 9
Or even easier:
Example
System.out.println(10 > 9); // returns true, because 10 is higher than 9
In the examples below, we use the equal to (==) operator to evaluate an expression:
Example
int x = 10;
System.out.println(x == 10); // returns true, because the value of x is equal
to 10
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Example
System.out.println(10 == 15); // returns false, because 10 is not equal to 15
Let's think of a "real life example" where we need to find out if a person is old enough to vote.
In the example below, we use the >= comparison operator to find out if the age (25) is greater than OR equal to the
voting age limit, which is set to 18:
Example
int myAge = 25;
int votingAge = 18;
System.out.println(myAge >= votingAge);
Cool, right? An even better approach (since we are on a roll now), would be to wrap the code above in an
if...else statement, so we can perform different actions depending on the result:
Example
Output "Old enough to vote!" if myAge is greater than or equal to 18. Otherwise output "Not old enough to vote.":
You already know that Java supports the usual logical conditions from mathematics:
You can use these conditions to perform different actions for different decisions.
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The if Statement
Use the if statement to specify a block of Java code to be executed if a condition is true.
Syntax
if (condition) {
// block of code to be executed if the condition is true
}
Note that if is in lowercase letters. Uppercase letters (If or IF) will generate an error.
In the example below, we test two values to find out if 20 is greater than 18. If the condition is true, print some text:
Example
if (20 > 18) {
System.out.println("20 is greater than 18");
}
Example
int x = 20;
int y = 18;
if (x > y) {
System.out.println("x is greater than y");
}
Example explained
In the example above we use two variables, x and y, to test whether x is greater than y (using the > operator). As x is
20, and y is 18, and we know that 20 is greater than 18, we print to the screen that "x is greater than y".
Use the else statement to specify a block of code to be executed if the condition is false.
Syntax
if (condition) {
// block of code to be executed if the condition is true
} else {
// block of code to be executed if the condition is false
}
Example
int time = 20;
if (time < 18) {
System.out.println("Good day.");
} else {
System.out.println("Good evening.");
}
// Outputs "Good evening."
Example explained
In the example above, time (20) is greater than 18, so the condition is false. Because of this, we move on to the
else condition and print to the screen "Good evening". If the time was less than 18, the program would print "Good
day".
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The else if Statement
Use the else if statement to specify a new condition if the first condition is false.
Syntax
if (condition1) {
// block of code to be executed if condition1 is true
} else if (condition2) {
// block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and condition2 is
true
} else {
// block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and condition2 is
false
}
Example
int time = 22;
if (time < 10) {
System.out.println("Good morning.");
} else if (time < 18) {
System.out.println("Good day.");
} else {
System.out.println("Good evening.");
}
// Outputs "Good evening."
Example explained
In the example above, time (22) is greater than 10, so the first condition is false. The next condition, in the else
if statement, is also false, so we move on to the else condition since condition1 and condition2 is both false -
and print to the screen "Good evening".
However, if the time was 14, our program would print "Good day."
There is also a short-hand if else, which is known as the ternary operator because it consists of three operands.
It can be used to replace multiple lines of code with a single line, and is most often used to replace simple if else
statements:
Syntax
variable = (condition) ? expressionTrue : expressionFalse;
Instead of writing:
Example
int time = 20;
if (time < 18) {
System.out.println("Good day.");
} else {
System.out.println("Good evening.");
}
Example
int time = 20;
String result = (time < 18) ? "Good day." : "Good evening.";
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System.out.println(result);
Instead of writing many if..else statements, you can use the switch statement.
Syntax
switch(expression) {
case x:
// code block
break;
case y:
// code block
break;
default:
// code block
}
The example below uses the weekday number to calculate the weekday name:
Example
int day = 4;
switch (day) {
case 1:
System.out.println("Monday");
break;
case 2:
System.out.println("Tuesday");
break;
case 3:
System.out.println("Wednesday");
break;
case 4:
System.out.println("Thursday");
break;
case 5:
System.out.println("Friday");
break;
case 6:
System.out.println("Saturday");
break;
case 7:
System.out.println("Sunday");
break;
}
// Outputs "Thursday" (day 4)
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The break Keyword
When Java reaches a break keyword, it breaks out of the switch block.
This will stop the execution of more code and case testing inside the block.
When a match is found, and the job is done, it's time for a break. There is no need for more testing.
A break can save a lot of execution time because it "ignores" the execution of all the rest of the code in the switch
block.
The default keyword specifies some code to run if there is no case match:
Example
int day = 4;
switch (day) {
case 6:
System.out.println("Today is Saturday");
break;
case 7:
System.out.println("Today is Sunday");
break;
default:
System.out.println("Looking forward to the Weekend");
}
// Outputs "Looking forward to the Weekend"
Loops
Loops are handy because they save time, reduce errors, and they make code more readable.
The while loop loops through a block of code as long as a specified condition is true:
Syntax
while (condition) {
// code block to be executed
}
In the example below, the code in the loop will run, over and over again, as long as a variable (i) is less than 5:
Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
System.out.println(i);
i++;
}
Note: Do not forget to increase the variable used in the condition, otherwise the loop will never end!
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The Do/While Loop
The do/while loop is a variant of the while loop. This loop will execute the code block once, before checking if
the condition is true, then it will repeat the loop as long as the condition is true.
Syntax
do {
// code block to be executed
}
while (condition);
The example below uses a do/while loop. The loop will always be executed at least once, even if the condition is
false, because the code block is executed before the condition is tested:
Example
int i = 0;
do {
System.out.println(i);
i++;
}
while (i < 5);
When you know exactly how many times you want to loop through a block of code, use the for loop instead of a
while loop:
Syntax
for (statement 1; statement 2; statement 3) {
// code block to be executed
}
Statement 1 is executed (one time) before the execution of the code block.
Statement 3 is executed (every time) after the code block has been executed.
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
System.out.println(i);
}
Example explained
Statement 2 defines the condition for the loop to run (i must be less than 5). If the condition is true, the loop will start
over again, if it is false, the loop will end.
Statement 3 increases a value (i++) each time the code block in the loop has been executed.
Another Example
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This example will only print even values between 0 and 10:
Example
for (int i = 0; i <= 10; i = i + 2) {
System.out.println(i);
}
Nested Loops
It is also possible to place a loop inside another loop. This is called a nested loop.
The "inner loop" will be executed one time for each iteration of the "outer loop":
Example
// Outer loop
for (int i = 1; i <= 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Outer: " + i); // Executes 2 times
// Inner loop
for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
System.out.println(" Inner: " + j); // Executes 6 times (2 * 3)
}
}
For-Each Loop
There is also a "for-each" loop, which is used exclusively to loop through elements in an array:
Syntax
for (type variableName : arrayName) {
// code block to be executed
}
The following example outputs all elements in the cars array, using a "for-each" loop:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (String i : cars) {
System.out.println(i);
}
Java Break
You have already seen the break statement used in an earlier chapter of this tutorial. It was used to "jump out" of a
switch statement.
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Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 4) {
break;
}
System.out.println(i);
}
Java Continue
The continue statement breaks one iteration (in the loop), if a specified condition occurs, and continues with the
next iteration in the loop.
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 4) {
continue;
}
System.out.println(i);
}
Break Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
System.out.println(i);
i++;
if (i == 4) {
break;
}
}
Continue Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
if (i == 4) {
i++;
continue;
}
System.out.println(i);
i++;
}
Java Arrays
Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable, instead of declaring separate variables for each value.
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String[] cars;
We have now declared a variable that holds an array of strings. To insert values to it, you can place the values in a
comma-separated list, inside curly braces:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
System.out.println(cars[0]);
// Outputs Volvo
Note: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is the second element, etc.
Example
cars[0] = "Opel";
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
cars[0] = "Opel";
System.out.println(cars[0]);
// Now outputs Opel instead of Volvo
Array Length
To find out how many elements an array has, use the length property:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
System.out.println(cars.length);
// Outputs 4
You can loop through the array elements with the for loop, and use the length property to specify how many times
the loop should run.
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
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for (int i = 0; i < cars.length; i++) {
System.out.println(cars[i]);
}
There is also a "for-each" loop, which is used exclusively to loop through elements in arrays:
Syntax
for (type variable : arrayname) {
...
}
The following example outputs all elements in the cars array, using a "for-each" loop:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (String i : cars) {
System.out.println(i);
}
The example above can be read like this: for each String element (called i - as in index) in cars, print out the value
of i.
If you compare the for loop and for-each loop, you will see that the for-each method is easier to write, it does not
require a counter (using the length property), and it is more readable.
Multidimensional Arrays
Multidimensional arrays are useful when you want to store data as a tabular form, like a table with rows and columns.
To create a two-dimensional array, add each array within its own set of curly braces:
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
Access Elements
To access the elements of the myNumbers array, specify two indexes: one for the array, and one for the element
inside that array. This example accesses the third element (2) in the second array (1) of myNumbers:
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
System.out.println(myNumbers[1][2]); // Outputs 7
Remember that: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is the second element, etc.
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
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myNumbers[1][2] = 9;
System.out.println(myNumbers[1][2]); // Outputs 9 instead of 7
We can also use a for loop inside another for loop to get the elements of a two-dimensional array (we still
have to point to the two indexes):
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
for (int i = 0; i < myNumbers.length; ++i) {
for(int j = 0; j < myNumbers[i].length; ++j) {
System.out.println(myNumbers[i][j]);
}
}
}
}
Java Methods
Methods are used to perform certain actions, and they are also known as functions.
Why use methods? To reuse code: define the code once, and use it many times.
Create a Method
A method must be declared within a class. It is defined with the name of the method, followed by parentheses (). Java
provides some pre-defined methods, such as System.out.println(), but you can also create your own methods
to perform certain actions:
Example
Example Explained
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Call a Method
To call a method in Java, write the method's name followed by two parentheses () and a semicolon;
In the following example, myMethod() is used to print a text (the action), when it is called:
Example
Example
public class Main {
static void myMethod() {
System.out.println("I just got executed!");
}
Information can be passed to methods as parameter. Parameters act as variables inside the method.
Parameters are specified after the method name, inside the parentheses. You can add as many parameters as you want,
just separate them with a comma.
The following example has a method that takes a String called fname as parameter. When the method is called, we
pass along a first name, which is used inside the method to print the full name:
Example
public class Main {
static void myMethod(String fname) {
System.out.println(fname + " Refsnes");
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}
When a parameter is passed to the method, it is called an argument. So, from the example above: fname is a
parameter, while Liam, Jenny and Anja are arguments.
Multiple Parameters
Example
public class Main {
static void myMethod(String fname, int age) {
System.out.println(fname + " is " + age);
}
// Liam is 5
// Jenny is 8
// Anja is 31
Note that when you are working with multiple parameters, the method call must have the same number of arguments
as there are parameters, and the arguments must be passed in the same order.
Return Values
The void keyword, used in the examples above, indicates that the method should not return a value. If you want the
method to return a value, you can use a primitive data type (such as int, char, etc.) instead of void, and use the
return keyword inside the method:
Example
public class Main {
static int myMethod(int x) {
return 5 + x;
}
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This example returns the sum of a method's two parameters:
Example
public class Main {
static int myMethod(int x, int y) {
return x + y;
}
You can also store the result in a variable (recommended, as it is easier to read and maintain):
Example
public class Main {
static int myMethod(int x, int y) {
return x + y;
}
Example
public class Main {
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Method Overloading
With method overloading, multiple methods can have the same name with different parameters:
Example
int myMethod(int x)
float myMethod(float x)
double myMethod(double x, double y)
Consider the following example, which has two methods that add numbers of different type:
Example
static int plusMethodInt(int x, int y) {
return x + y;
}
Instead of defining two methods that should do the same thing, it is better to overload one.
In the example below, we overload the plusMethod method to work for both int and double:
Example
static int plusMethod(int x, int y) {
return x + y;
}
Java Scope
In Java, variables are only accessible inside the region they are created. This is called scope.
Method Scope
Variables declared directly inside a method are available anywhere in the method following the line of code in which
they were declared:
Example
public class Main {
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30
public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 100;
Block Scope
A block of code refers to all of the code between curly braces {}.
Variables declared inside blocks of code are only accessible by the code between the curly braces, which follows the
line in which the variable was declared:
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
{ // This is a block
int x = 100;
}
}
Java Recursion
Recursion is the technique of making a function call itself. This technique provides a way to break complicated
problems down into simple problems which are easier to solve.
Recursion may be a bit difficult to understand. The best way to figure out how it works is to experiment with it.
Recursion Example
Adding two numbers together is easy to do, but adding a range of numbers is more complicated. In the following
example, recursion is used to add a range of numbers together by breaking it down into the simple task of adding two
numbers:
Example
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int result = sum(10);
System.out.println(result);
}
public static int sum(int k) {
if (k > 0) {
return k + sum(k - 1);
} else {
return 0;
}
}
}
Example Explained
When the sum() function is called, it adds parameter k to the sum of all numbers smaller than k and returns the
result. When k becomes 0, the function just returns 0. When running, the program follows these steps10 + 9 + 8 + 7 6
Since the function does not call itself when k is 0, the program stops there and returns the result.
Halting Condition
Just as loops can run into the problem of infinite looping, recursive functions can run into the problem of infinite
recursion. Infinite recursion is when the function never stops calling itself. Every recursive function should have a
halting condition, which is the condition where the function stops calling itself. In the previous example, the halting
condition is when the parameter k becomes 0.
It is helpful to see a variety of different examples to better understand the concept. In this example, the function adds a
range of numbers between a start and an end. The halting condition for this recursive function is when end is not
greater than start:
Example
The developer should be very careful with recursion as it can be quite easy to slip into writing a function which never
terminates, or one that uses excess amounts of memory or processor power. However, when written correctly
recursion can be a very efficient and mathematically-elegant approach to programming.
Procedural programming is about writing procedures or methods that perform operations on the data, while object-
oriented programming is about creating objects that contain both data and methods.
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• OOP is faster and easier to execute
• OOP provides a clear structure for the programs
• OOP helps to keep the Java code DRY "Don't Repeat Yourself", and makes the code easier to maintain,
modify and debug
• OOP makes it possible to create full reusable applications with less code and shorter development time
Tip: The "Don't Repeat Yourself" (DRY) principle is about reducing the repetition of code. You should extract out the
codes that are common for the application, and place them at a single place and reuse them instead of repeating it.
Classes and objects are the two main aspects of object-oriented programming.
Look at the following illustration to see the difference between class and objects:
So, a class is a template for objects, and an object is an instance of a class. When the individual objects are created,
they inherit all the variables and methods from the class.
You will learn much more about classes and objects in the next chapter.
Java Classes/Objects
Everything in Java is associated with classes and objects, along with its attributes and methods. For example: in real
life, a car is an object. The car has attributes, such as weight and color, and methods, such as drive and brake.
Create a Class
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Main.java
Remember from the Java Syntax chapter that a class should always start with an uppercase first letter, and that the
name of the java file should match the class name.
Create an Object
In Java, an object is created from a class. We have already created the class named Main, so now we can use this to
create objects.
To create an object of Main, specify the class name, followed by the object name, and use the keyword new:
Example
Multiple Objects
Example
You can also create an object of a class and access it in another class. This is often used for better organization of
classes (one class has all the attributes and methods, while the other class holds the main() method (code to be
executed)).
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Remember that the name of the java file should match the class name. In this example, we have created two files in
the same directory/folder:
• Main.java
• Second.java
Main.java
public class Main {
int x = 5;
}
Second.java
class Second {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Main myObj = new Main();
System.out.println(myObj.x);
}
}
In the previous chapter, we used the term "variable" for x in the example (as shown below). It is actually an attribute
of the class. Or you could say that class attributes are variables within a class:
Example
Accessing Attributes
You can access attributes by creating an object of the class, and by using the dot syntax (.):
The following example will create an object of the Main class, with the name myObj. We use the x attribute on the
object to print its value:
35
Example
Modify Attributes
Example
Example
If you don't want the ability to override existing values, declare the attribute as final:
Example
public class Main {
final int x = 10;
36
myObj.x = 25; // will generate an error: cannot assign a value to a final
variable
System.out.println(myObj.x);
}
}
The final keyword is useful when you want a variable to always store the same value, like PI (3.14159...).
The final keyword is called a "modifier". You will learn more about these in the Java Modifiers Chapter.
Multiple Objects
If you create multiple objects of one class, you can change the attribute values in one object, without affecting the
attribute values in the other:
Example
Multiple Attributes
Example
public class Main {
String fname = "John";
String lname = "Doe";
int age = 24;
The next chapter will teach you how to create class methods and how to access them with objects.
You learned from the Java Methods chapter that methods are declared within a class, and that they are used to perform
certain actions:
37
Example
myMethod() prints a text (the action), when it is called. To call a method, write the method's name followed by two
parentheses () and a semicolon;
Example
You will often see Java programs that have either static or public attributes and methods.
In the example above, we created a static method, which means that it can be accessed without creating an object
of the class, unlike public, which can only be accessed by objects:
Example
// Public method
public void myPublicMethod() {
System.out.println("Public methods must be called by creating objects");
}
// Main method
public static void main(String[] args) {
myStaticMethod(); // Call the static method
// myPublicMethod(); This would compile an error
38
Main myObj = new Main(); // Create an object of Main
myObj.myPublicMethod(); // Call the public method on the object
}
}
Note: You will learn more about these keywords (called modifiers) in the Java Modifiers chapter.
Example
Create a Car object named myCar. Call the fullThrottle() and speed() methods on the myCar object, and
run the program:
3) The fullThrottle() method and the speed() method will print out some text, when they are called.
4) The speed() method accepts an int parameter called maxSpeed - we will use this in 8).
5) In order to use the Main class and its methods, we need to create an object of the Main Class.
6) Then, go to the main() method, which you know by now is a built-in Java method that runs your program (any
code inside main is executed).
7) By using the new keyword we created an object with the name myCar.
8) Then, we call the fullThrottle() and speed() methods on the myCar object, and run the program using
the name of the object (myCar), followed by a dot (.), followed by the name of the method (fullThrottle();
and speed(200);). Notice that we add an int parameter of 200 inside the speed() method.
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39
Remember that..
The dot (.) is used to access the object's attributes and methods.
To call a method in Java, write the method name followed by a set of parentheses (), followed by a semicolon (;).
Like we specified in the Classes chapter, it is a good practice to create an object of a class and access it in another
class.
Remember that the name of the java file should match the class name. In this example, we have created two files in
the same directory:
• Main.java
• Second.java
Main.java
public class Main {
public void fullThrottle() {
System.out.println("The car is going as fast as it can!");
}
Java Constructors
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40
A constructor in Java is a special method that is used to initialize objects. The constructor is called when an object of
a class is created. It can be used to set initial values for object attributes:
Example
Create a constructor:
// Outputs 5
Note that the constructor name must match the class name, and it cannot have a return type (like void).
Also note that the constructor is called when the object is created.
All classes have constructors by default: if you do not create a class constructor yourself, Java creates one for you.
However, then you are not able to set initial values for object attributes.
Constructor Parameters
The following example adds an int y parameter to the constructor. Inside the constructor we set x to y (x=y). When
we call the constructor, we pass a parameter to the constructor (5), which will set the value of x to 5:
Example
public class Main {
int x;
public Main(int y) {
x = y;
}
// Outputs 5
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You can have as many parameters as you want:
Example
public class Main {
int modelYear;
String modelName;
JAVA Modifiers
By now, you are quite familiar with the public keyword that appears in almost all of our examples:
The public keyword is an access modifier, meaning that it is used to set the access level for classes, attributes,
methods and constructors.
Access Modifiers
Modifier Description
public The class is accessible by any other class
default The class is only accessible by classes in the same package. This is used when you don't
specify a modifier. You will learn more about packages in the Packages chapter
For attributes, methods and constructors, you can use the one of the following:
Modifier Description
public The code is accessible for all classes
private The code is only accessible within the declared class
default The code is only accessible in the same package. This is used when you don't specify a
modifier. You will learn more about packages in the Packages chapter
protected The code is accessible in the same package and subclasses. You will learn more about
subclasses and superclasses in the Inheritance chapter
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Non-Access Modifiers
Modifier Description
final The class cannot be inherited by other classes (You will learn more about inheritance in
the Inheritance chapter)
abstract The class cannot be used to create objects (To access an abstract class, it must be
inherited from another class. You will learn more about inheritance and abstraction in the
Inheritance and Abstraction chapters)
For attributes and methods, you can use the one of the following:
Modifier Description
final Attributes and methods cannot be overridden/modified
static Attributes and methods belongs to the class, rather than an object
abstract Can only be used in an abstract class, and can only be used on methods. The method does
not have a body, for example abstract void run();. The body is provided by the subclass
(inherited from). You will learn more about inheritance and abstraction in the Inheritance
and Abstraction chapters
transient Attributes and methods are skipped when serializing the object containing them
synchronized Methods can only be accessed by one thread at a time
volatile The value of an attribute is not cached thread-locally, and is always read from the "main
memory"
Final
If you don't want the ability to override existing attribute values, declare attributes as final:
Example
public class Main {
final int x = 10;
final double PI = 3.14;
Static
A static method means that it can be accessed without creating an object of the class, unlike public:
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Example
// Public method
public void myPublicMethod() {
System.out.println("Public methods must be called by creating objects");
}
// Main method
public static void main(String[ ] args) {
myStaticMethod(); // Call the static method
// myPublicMethod(); This would output an error
Abstract
An abstract method belongs to an abstract class, and it does not have a body. The body is provided by the
subclass:
Example
// Code from filename: Main.java
// abstract class
abstract class Main {
public String fname = "John";
public int age = 24;
public abstract void study(); // abstract method
}
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myObj.study(); // call abstract method
}
}
JAVA Encapsulation
The meaning of Encapsulation, is to make sure that "sensitive" data is hidden from users. To achieve this, you must:
You learned from the previous chapter that private variables can only be accessed within the same class (an
outside class has no access to it). However, it is possible to access them if we provide public get and set methods.
The get method returns the variable value, and the set method sets the value.
Syntax for both is that they start with either get or set, followed by the name of the variable, with the first letter in
upper case:
Example
public class Person {
private String name; // private = restricted access
// Getter
public String getName() {
return name;
}
// Setter
public void setName(String newName) {
this.name = newName;
}
}
Example explained
The set method takes a parameter (newName) and assigns it to the name variable. The this keyword is used to
refer to the current object.
However, as the name variable is declared as private, we cannot access it from outside this class:
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Person myObj = new Person();
myObj.name = "John"; // error
System.out.println(myObj.name); // error
}
}
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45
If the variable was declared as public, we would expect the following output:
John
Instead, we use the getName() and setName() methods to access and update the variable:
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Person myObj = new Person();
myObj.setName("John"); // Set the value of the name variable to "John"
System.out.println(myObj.getName());
}
}
// Outputs "John"
Why Encapsulation?
A package in Java is used to group related classes. Think of it as a folder in a file directory. We use packages to
avoid name conflicts, and to write a better maintainable code. Packages are divided into two categories:
Built-in Packages
The Java API is a library of prewritten classes, that are free to use, included in the Java Development Environment.
The library contains components for managing input, database programming, and much much more. The complete list
can be found at Oracles website: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/.
The library is divided into packages and classes. Meaning you can either import a single class (along with its methods
and attributes), or a whole package that contain all the classes that belong to the specified package.
To use a class or a package from the library, you need to use the import keyword:
Syntax
import package.name.Class; // Import a single class
import package.name.*; // Import the whole package
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46
Import a Class
If you find a class you want to use, for example, the Scanner class, which is used to get user input, write the
following code:
Example
import java.util.Scanner;
In the example above, java.util is a package, while Scanner is a class of the java.util package.
To use the Scanner class, create an object of the class and use any of the available methods found in the Scanner
class documentation. In our example, we will use the nextLine() method, which is used to read a complete line:
Example
import java.util.Scanner;
class MyClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner myObj = new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.println("Enter username");
Import a Package
There are many packages to choose from. In the previous example, we used the Scanner class from the
java.util package. This package also contains date and time facilities, random-number generator and other utility
classes.
To import a whole package, end the sentence with an asterisk sign (*). The following example will import ALL the
classes in the java.util package:
Example
import java.util.*;
User-defined Packages
To create your own package, you need to understand that Java uses a file system directory to store them. Just like
folders on your computer:
Example
└── root
└── mypack
└── MyPackageClass.java
MyPackageClass.java
package mypack;
class MyPackageClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
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System.out.println("This is my package!");
}
}
The -d keyword specifies the destination for where to save the class file. You can use any directory name, like c:/user
(windows), or, if you want to keep the package within the same directory, you can use the dot sign ".", like in the
example above.
Note: The package name should be written in lower case to avoid conflict with class names.
When we compiled the package in the example above, a new folder was created, called "mypack".
This is my package!
In Java, it is possible to inherit attributes and methods from one class to another. We group the "inheritance concept"
into two categories:
In the example below, the Car class (subclass) inherits the attributes and methods from the Vehicle class
(superclass):
Example
class Vehicle {
protected String brand = "Ford"; // Vehicle attribute
public void honk() { // Vehicle method
System.out.println("Tuut, tuut!");
}
}
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// Call the honk() method (from the Vehicle class) on the myCar object
myCar.honk();
// Display the value of the brand attribute (from the Vehicle class) and
the value of the modelName from the Car class
System.out.println(myCar.brand + " " + myCar.modelName);
}
}
We set the brand attribute in Vehicle to a protected access modifier. If it was set to private, the Car class
would not be able to access it.
- It is useful for code reusability: reuse attributes and methods of an existing class when you create a new class.
Tip: Also take a look at the next chapter, Polymorphism, which uses inherited methods to perform different tasks.
If you don't want other classes to inherit from a class, use the final keyword:
Java Polymorphism
Polymorphism means "many forms", and it occurs when we have many classes that are related to each other by
inheritance.
Like we specified in the previous chapter; Inheritance lets us inherit attributes and methods from another class.
Polymorphism uses those methods to perform different tasks. This allows us to perform a single action in different
ways.
For example, think of a superclass called Animal that has a method called animalSound(). Subclasses of
Animals could be Pigs, Cats, Dogs, Birds - And they also have their own implementation of an animal sound (the pig
oinks, and the cat meows, etc.):
Example
class Animal {
public void animalSound() {
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49
System.out.println("The animal makes a sound");
}
}
Remember from the Inheritance chapter that we use the extends keyword to inherit from a class.
Now we can create Pig and Dog objects and call the animalSound() method on both of them:
Example
class Animal {
public void animalSound() {
System.out.println("The animal makes a sound");
}
}
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Animal myAnimal = new Animal(); // Create a Animal object
Animal myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
Animal myDog = new Dog(); // Create a Dog object
myAnimal.animalSound();
myPig.animalSound();
myDog.animalSound();
}
}
Why And When To Use "Inheritance" and "Polymorphism"?
- It is useful for code reusability: reuse attributes and methods of an existing class when you create a new class.
In Java, it is also possible to nest classes (a class within a class). The purpose of nested classes is to group classes that
belong together, which makes your code more readable and maintainable.
To access the inner class, create an object of the outer class, and then create an object of the inner class:
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50
Example
class OuterClass {
int x = 10;
class InnerClass {
int y = 5;
}
}
// Outputs 15 (5 + 10)
Unlike a "regular" class, an inner class can be private or protected. If you don't want outside objects to access
the inner class, declare the class as private:
Example
class OuterClass {
int x = 10;
If you try to access a private inner class from an outside class, an error occurs:
An inner class can also be static, which means that you can access it without creating an object of the outer class:
Example
class OuterClass {
int x = 10;
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}
// Outputs 5
Note: just like static attributes and methods, a static inner class does not have access to members of the outer
class.
One advantage of inner classes, is that they can access attributes and methods of the outer class:
Example
class OuterClass {
int x = 10;
class InnerClass {
public int myInnerMethod() {
return x;
}
}
}
// Outputs 10
Data abstraction is the process of hiding certain details and showing only essential information to the user.
Abstraction can be achieved with either abstract classes or interfaces (which you will learn more about in the next
chapter).
The abstract keyword is a non-access modifier, used for classes and methods:
• Abstract class: is a restricted class that cannot be used to create objects (to access it, it must be inherited from
another class).
• Abstract method: can only be used in an abstract class, and it does not have a body. The body is provided by
the subclass (inherited from).
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abstract class Animal {
public abstract void animalSound();
public void sleep() {
System.out.println("Zzz");
}
}
From the example above, it is not possible to create an object of the Animal class:
To access the abstract class, it must be inherited from another class. Let's convert the Animal class we used in the
Polymorphism chapter to an abstract class:
Remember from the Inheritance chapter that we use the extends keyword to inherit from a class.
Example
// Abstract class
abstract class Animal {
// Abstract method (does not have a body)
public abstract void animalSound();
// Regular method
public void sleep() {
System.out.println("Zzz");
}
}
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Pig myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
myPig.animalSound();
myPig.sleep();
}
}
To achieve security - hide certain details and only show the important details of an object.
Note: Abstraction can also be achieved with Interfaces, which you will learn more about in the next chapter.
JAVA Interfaces
An interface is a completely "abstract class" that is used to group related methods with empty bodies:
Example
// interface
interface Animal {
public void animalSound(); // interface method (does not have a body)
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53
public void run(); // interface method (does not have a body)
}
To access the interface methods, the interface must be "implemented" (kinda like inherited) by another class with the
implements keyword (instead of extends). The body of the interface method is provided by the "implement"
class:
Example
// Interface
interface Animal {
public void animalSound(); // interface method (does not have a body)
public void sleep(); // interface method (does not have a body)
}
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Pig myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
myPig.animalSound();
myPig.sleep();
}
}
Notes on Interfaces:
• Like abstract classes, interfaces cannot be used to create objects (in the example above, it is not possible to
create an "Animal" object in the MyMainClass)
• Interface methods do not have a body - the body is provided by the "implement" class
• On implementation of an interface, you must override all of its methods
• Interface methods are by default abstract and public
• Interface attributes are by default public, static and final
• An interface cannot contain a constructor (as it cannot be used to create objects)
1) To achieve security - hide certain details and only show the important details of an object (interface).
2) Java does not support "multiple inheritance" (a class can only inherit from one superclass). However, it can be
achieved with interfaces, because the class can implement multiple interfaces. Note: To implement multiple
interfaces, separate them with a comma (see example below).
Multiple Interfaces
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Example
interface FirstInterface {
public void myMethod(); // interface method
}
interface SecondInterface {
public void myOtherMethod(); // interface method
}
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
DemoClass myObj = new DemoClass();
myObj.myMethod();
myObj.myOtherMethod();
}
}
The Scanner class is used to get user input, and it is found in the java.util package.
To use the Scanner class, create an object of the class and use any of the available methods found in the Scanner
class documentation. In our example, we will use the nextLine() method, which is used to read Strings:
Example
import java.util.Scanner; // Import the Scanner class
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner myObj = new Scanner(System.in); // Create a Scanner object
System.out.println("Enter username");
Input Types
In the example above, we used the nextLine() method, which is used to read Strings. To read other types, look at
the table below:
Method Description
nextBoolean() Reads a boolean value from the user
nextByte() Reads a byte value from the user
nextDouble() Reads a double value from the user
nextFloat() Reads a float value from the user
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nextInt() Reads a int value from the user
nextLine() Reads a String value from the user
nextLong() Reads a long value from the user
nextShort() Reads a short value from the user
In the example below, we use different methods to read data of various types:
Example
import java.util.Scanner;
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner myObj = new Scanner(System.in);
// String input
String name = myObj.nextLine();
// Numerical input
int age = myObj.nextInt();
double salary = myObj.nextDouble();
Note: If you enter wrong input (e.g. text in a numerical input), you will get an exception/error message (like
"InputMismatchException").
Java does not have a built-in Date class, but we can import the java.time package to work with the date and time
API. The package includes many date and time classes. For example:
Class Description
LocalDate Represents a date (year, month, day (yyyy-MM-dd))
LocalTime Represents a time (hour, minute, second and nanoseconds (HH-mm-ss-ns))
LocalDateTime Represents both a date and a time (yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss-ns)
DateTimeFormatter Formatter for displaying and parsing date-time objects
To display the current date, import the java.time.LocalDate class, and use its now() method:
Example
import java.time.LocalDate; // import the LocalDate class
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public static void main(String[] args) {
LocalDate myObj = LocalDate.now(); // Create a date object
System.out.println(myObj); // Display the current date
}
}
2024-04-01
To display the current time (hour, minute, second, and nanoseconds), import the java.time.LocalTime class,
and use its now() method:
Example
import java.time.LocalTime; // import the LocalTime class
12:03:43.243303
To display the current date and time, import the java.time.LocalDateTime class, and use its now() method:
Example
import java.time.LocalDateTime; // import the LocalDateTime class
2024-04-01T12:03:43.243667
The "T" in the example above is used to separate the date from the time. You can use the DateTimeFormatter
class with the ofPattern() method in the same package to format or parse date-time objects. The following
example will remove both the "T" and nanoseconds from the date-time:
Example
import java.time.LocalDateTime; // Import the LocalDateTime class
import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter; // Import the DateTimeFormatter
class
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public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
LocalDateTime myDateObj = LocalDateTime.now();
System.out.println("Before formatting: " + myDateObj);
DateTimeFormatter myFormatObj = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd-MM-yyyy
HH:mm:ss");
The ofPattern() method accepts all sorts of values, if you want to display the date and time in a different format.
For example:
Value Example
yyyy-MM-dd "1988-09-29"
dd/MM/yyyy "29/09/1988"
dd-MMM-yyyy "29-Sep-1988"
E, MMM dd yyyy "Thu, Sep 29 1988"
Java ArrayList
The ArrayList class is a resizable array, which can be found in the java.util package.
The difference between a built-in array and an ArrayList in Java, is that the size of an array cannot be modified (if
you want to add or remove elements to/from an array, you have to create a new one). While elements can be added
and removed from an ArrayList whenever you want. The syntax is also slightly different:
Example
Add Items
The ArrayList class has many useful methods. For example, to add elements to the ArrayList, use the add()
method:
Example
import java.util.ArrayList;
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public static void main(String[] args) {
ArrayList<String> cars = new ArrayList<String>();
cars.add("Volvo");
cars.add("BMW");
cars.add("Ford");
cars.add("Mazda");
System.out.println(cars);
}
}
Access an Item
To access an element in the ArrayList, use the get() method and refer to the index number:
Example
cars.get(0);
Remember: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is the second element, etc.
Change an Item
To modify an element, use the set() method and refer to the index number:
Example
cars.set(0, "Opel");
Remove an Item
To remove an element, use the remove() method and refer to the index number:
Example
cars.remove(0);
To remove all the elements in the ArrayList, use the clear() method:
Example
cars.clear();
ArrayList Size
To find out how many elements an ArrayList have, use the size method:
Example
cars.size();
Loop through the elements of an ArrayList with a for loop, and use the size() method to specify how many
times the loop should run:
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
ArrayList<String> cars = new ArrayList<String>();
cars.add("Volvo");
cars.add("BMW");
cars.add("Ford");
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cars.add("Mazda");
for (int i = 0; i < cars.size(); i++) {
System.out.println(cars.get(i));
}
}
}
You can also loop through an ArrayList with the for-each loop:
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
ArrayList<String> cars = new ArrayList<String>();
cars.add("Volvo");
cars.add("BMW");
cars.add("Ford");
cars.add("Mazda");
for (String i : cars) {
System.out.println(i);
}
}
}
Other Types
Elements in an ArrayList are actually objects. In the examples above, we created elements (objects) of type "String".
Remember that a String in Java is an object (not a primitive type). To use other types, such as int, you must specify an
equivalent wrapper class: Integer. For other primitive types, use: Boolean for boolean, Character for char,
Double for double, etc:
Example
import java.util.ArrayList;
Sort an ArrayList
Another useful class in the java.util package is the Collections class, which include the sort() method for
sorting lists alphabetically or numerically:
Example
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import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections; // Import the Collections class
Example
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections; // Import the Collections class
Java Iterator
An Iterator is an object that can be used to loop through collections, like ArrayList and HashSet. It is called an
"iterator" because "iterating" is the technical term for looping.
Getting an Iterator
The iterator() method can be used to get an Iterator for any collection:
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Example
// Import the ArrayList class and the Iterator class
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Iterator;
// Make a collection
ArrayList<String> cars = new ArrayList<String>();
cars.add("Volvo");
cars.add("BMW");
cars.add("Ford");
cars.add("Mazda");
To loop through a collection, use the hasNext() and next() methods of the Iterator:
Example
while(it.hasNext()) {
System.out.println(it.next());
}
Iterators are designed to easily change the collections that they loop through. The remove() method can remove
items from a collection while looping.
Example
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Iterator;
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}
System.out.println(numbers);
}
}
Note: Trying to remove items using a for loop or a for-each loop would not work correctly because the collection is
changing size at the same time that the code is trying to loop.
Java File
Java has several methods for creating, reading, updating, and deleting files.
The File class from the java.io package, allows us to work with files.
To use the File class, create an object of the class, and specify the filename or directory name:
Example
import java.io.File; // Import the File class
If you don't know what a package is, read our Java Packages Tutorial.
The File class has many useful methods for creating and getting information about files. For example:
Create a File
To create a file in Java, you can use the createNewFile() method. This method returns a boolean value: true if
the file was successfully created, and false if the file already exists. Note that the method is enclosed in a
try...catch block. This is necessary because it throws an IOException if an error occurs (if the file cannot be
created for some reason):
ADEGBOLA TAOFIQ (JAVA)
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Example
import java.io.File; // Import the File class
import java.io.IOException; // Import the IOException class to handle errors
To create a file in a specific directory (requires permission), specify the path of the file and use double backslashes to
escape the "\" character (for Windows). On Mac and Linux you can just write the path, like: /Users/name/filename.txt
Example
File myObj = new File("C:\\Users\\MyName\\filename.txt");
Write To a File
In the following example, we use the FileWriter class together with its write() method to write some text to
the file we created in the example above. Note that when you are done writing to the file, you should close it with the
close() method:
Example
import java.io.FileWriter; // Import the FileWriter class
import java.io.IOException; // Import the IOException class to handle errors
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Read a File
In the previous chapter, you learned how to create and write to a file.
In the following example, we use the Scanner class to read the contents of the text file we created in the previous
chapter:
Example
import java.io.File; // Import the File class
import java.io.FileNotFoundException; // Import this class to handle errors
import java.util.Scanner; // Import the Scanner class to read text files
To get more information about a file, use any of the File methods:
Example
import java.io.File; // Import the File class
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File name: filename.txt
Absolute path: C:\Users\MyName\filename.txt
Writeable: true
Readable: true
File size in bytes: 0
Note: There are many available classes in the Java API that can be used to read and write files in Java:
FileReader, BufferedReader, Files, Scanner, FileInputStream, FileWriter,
BufferedWriter, FileOutputStream, etc. Which one to use depends on the Java version you're working
with and whether you need to read bytes or characters, and the size of the file/lines etc.
Delete a File
Example
import java.io.File; // Import the File class
Delete a Folder
Example
import java.io.File;
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Learn how to add two numbers in Java:
Example
int x = 5;
int y = 6;
int sum = x + y;
System.out.println(sum); // Print the sum of x + y
Example
import java.util.Scanner; // Import the Scanner class
class MyClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int x, y, sum;
Scanner myObj = new Scanner(System.in); // Create a Scanner object
System.out.println("Type a number:");
x = myObj.nextInt(); // Read user input
You can easily count the number of words in a string with the following example:
Example
String words = "One Two Three Four";
int countWords = words.split("\\s").length;
System.out.println(countWords);
You can easily reverse a string by characters with the following example:
Example
String originalStr = "Hello";
String reversedStr = "";
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JAVA To Calculate the Sum of an Array
Example
int[] myArray = {1, 5, 10, 25};
int sum = 0;
int i;
// Loop through the array elements and store the sum in the sum variable
for (i = 0; i < myArray.length; i++) {
sum += myArray[i];
}
The area of a rectangle can be found by multiplying the length of the rectangle by the width:
Example
int length = 5;
int width = 2;
int area = length * width;
System.out.println("Area of rectangle: " + area);
Example
int number = 5;
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