Lecture 3: Introduction to JAVA
Course Objectives
• Help students to understand the fundamentals
of programming such as variables, conditional
and iterative statements, methods, recursion,
arrays, etc.
• Develop the student’s ability to write a well-
structured computer program to solve specified
problems using Java
• Teach students to use the Java SDK environment
to create, debug and run simple Java programs
What is programming?
• program: A set of instructions
to be carried out by a computer.
• program execution: The act of
carrying out the instructions
contained in a program.
• programming language: A systematic set of rules
used to describe computations in a format that is
editable by humans.
– For example: Java
Process of Programming
• Code: describes program fragments (e.g., “four lines of code”) or the
act of programming (e.g., “Let’s code this into Java”)
• The process of execution is often called running
• Program is stored in the computer as a series of binary numbers
known as machine language
– Machine language programs are executable programs
– Modern programmers use high-level programming languages such as
C++ and Java.
• High-level programming languages cannot be run directly on a
computer
– They first have to be translated into machine language
– Translation happens using Compilers
Process of Programming
• Compiler: software that often translates a program written in a programming
language into an equivalent program in another computer language
– Often but not always from a high level language into machine language
• Java programs compile into Java bytecodes (NOT machine lang.)
– Intermediate level (not as high as Java or as low as machine language)
– One set of bytecodes can execute on many different machines
– It represents the machine language of a virtual computer know as Java Virtual Machine
(JVM)
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE): a program that executes Java bytecodes
• Java development Kit (JDK) = JRE + Java compiler.
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) = JVM + Library Classes
Process of Programming
Source Running
Editor Compiler
File Byte code JVM Program
(IDE) (javac)
(.java)
MyProgram.java MyProgram.class
Output
IDE (Editor)
• Eclipse is an integrated development environment
(IDE).
– Syntax highlighting editor
– Easy to compile and execute programs
– Debugging (finding and eliminating errors in the
program)
Basic Java programs with
println statements
A Java program
public class Hello {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello, World!");
}
}
• Its output:
Hello, world!
• Console window: Text box into which the
program's output is printed.
Structure of a Java program
class: a program
public class name {
public static void main(String[] args) {
statement;
Body of
main
statement;
method ... method: a named group
statement; of statements
}
}
statement: a command to be executed
• Every executable Java program consists of a class,
– that contains a method named main,
• that contains the statements (commands) to be executed.
Compile/run a program
1. Write it.
– code or source code: The set of instructions in a program.
2. Compile it.
– javac: translates the program from Java to bytecode
– bytecode: runs on many computer types (any computer with JVM)
3. Run (execute) it.
– output: whatever the programmer instructs the program to do
source code byte code output
compile run Hello, World!
javac Hello.java java Hello
System.out.println
• A statement that prints a line of output on the console.
– pronounced "print-linn"
– sometimes called a "println statement" for short
• Two ways to use System.out.println :
• System.out.println("text");
Prints the given message as output.
• System.out.println();
Prints a blank line of output.
Another Java program
public class Hello {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello, world!");
System.out.println();
System.out.println("This program produces");
System.out.println("four lines of output");
}
}
• Its output:
Hello, world!
This program produces
four lines of output
Names and identifiers
• You must give your program a name.
public class MyClass {
– Naming convention: capitalize each word (e.g. MyClass)
– Your program's file must match exactly (MyClass.java)
• includes capitalization (Java is "case-sensitive")
• identifier: A name given to an item in your program.
– must start with a letter or _ or $
– subsequent characters can be any of those or a number
• legal: _myName TheCure ANSWER_IS_42 $bling$
• illegal: me+u 49ers side-swipe Ph.D's
Keywords
• keyword: An identifier that you cannot use because
it already has a reserved meaning in Java.
abstract default if private this
boolean do implements protected throw
break double import public throws
byte else instanceof return transient
case extends int short try
catch final interface static void
char finally long strictfp volatile
class float native super while
const for new switch
continue goto package synchronized
Syntax
• Syntax: The set of legal structures and commands that can
be used in a particular language.
– Every basic Java statement ends with a semicolon ;
– The contents of a class or method occur between { and }
• Syntax error (compiler error): A problem in the
structure of a program that causes the compiler to fail.
– Missing semicolon
– Too many or too few { } braces
– Illegal identifier for class name
– Class and file names do not match
...
Syntax error example
1 public class Hello {
2 pooblic static void main(String[] args) {
3 System.owt.println("Hello, world!")_
4 }
5 }
• Compiler output:
Hello.java:2: <identifier> expected
pooblic static void main(String[] args) {
^
Hello.java:3: ';' expected
}
^
2 errors
– The compiler shows the line number where it found
the error.
– The error messages can be tough to understand!
Other types of Errors
• Logic errors: occur when you write code that doesn’t
perform the task it is intended to perform BUG!
• Runtime errors: are logic errors that are so severe
that Java stops your program from executing.
Strings
• string: A sequence of characters to be printed.
– Starts and ends with a " quote " character.
• The quotes do not appear in the output.
– Examples:
"hello"
"This is a string. It's very long!"
• Restrictions:
– May not span multiple lines.
"This is not
a legal String."
– May not contain a " character.
"This is not a "legal" String either."
Escape sequences
• escape sequence: A special sequence of characters used
to represent certain special characters in a string.
\t tab character
\n new line character
\" quotation mark character
\\ backslash character
– Example:
System.out.println("\\hello\nhow\tare \"you\"?\\\\");
– Output:
\hello
how are "you"?\\
Questions
• What is the output of the following println
statements?
System.out.println("\ta\tb\tc");
System.out.println("\\\\");
System.out.println("'");
System.out.println("\"\"\"");
System.out.println("C:\nin\the downward
spiral");
• Write a println statement to produce this output:
/ \ // \\ /// \\\
Answers
• Output of each println statement:
a b c
\\
'
"""
C:
in he downward spiral
• println statement to produce the line of output:
System.out.println("/ \\ // \\\\ ///
\\\\\\");
Questions
• What println statements will generate this output?
This program prints a
quote from the Gettysburg Address.
"Four score and seven years ago,
our 'fore fathers' brought forth on
this continent a new nation."
• What println statements will generate this output?
A "quoted" String is
'much' better if you learn
the rules of "escape sequences."
Also, "" represents an empty String.
Don't forget: use \" instead of " !
'' is not the same as "
Answers
• println statements to generate the output:
System.out.println("This program prints a");
System.out.println("quote from the Gettysburg Address.");
System.out.println();
System.out.println("\"Four score and seven years ago,");
System.out.println("our 'fore fathers' brought forth on");
System.out.println("this continent a new nation.\"");
• println statements to generate the output:
System.out.println("A \"quoted\" String is");
System.out.println("'much' better if you learn");
System.out.println("the rules of \"escape sequences.\"");
System.out.println();
System.out.println("Also, \"\" represents an empty String.");
System.out.println("Don't forget: use \\\" instead of \" !");
System.out.println("'' is not the same as \"");
Comments
• comment: A note written in source code by the
programmer to describe or clarify the code.
– Comments are not executed when your program runs.
• Syntax:
// comment text, on one line
or,
/* comment text; may span multiple lines */
• Examples:
// This is a one-line comment.
/* This is a very long
multi-line comment. */
Using comments
• Where to place comments:
– at the top of each file (a "comment header")
– at the start of every method (seen later)
– to explain complex pieces of code
• Comments are useful for:
– Understanding larger, more complex programs.
– Multiple programmers working together, who must
understand each other's code.
Comments example
/* Suzy Student, FCDS, Fall 2020
This program prints lyrics about ... something. */
public class BaWitDaBa {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// first verse
System.out.println("Bawitdaba");
System.out.println("da bang a dang diggy diggy");
System.out.println();
// second verse
System.out.println("diggy said the boogy");
System.out.println("said up jump the boogy");
}
}
