Variables and Data types
Variables
Variable is a memory location for storing values which change during program execution.
The Java programming language defines the following kinds of variables:
• Instance Variables (Non-Static Fields) : objects store their individual states in "non-static fields",
that is, fields declared without the static keyword. Non-static fields are also known as instance
variables because their values are unique to each instance of a class (to each object, in other words);
the currentSpeed of one bicycle is independent from the currentSpeed of another.
• Class Variables (Static Fields) A class variable is any field declared with the static modifier; this
tells the compiler that there is exactly one copy of this variable in existence, regardless of how
many times the class has been instantiated. A field defining the number of gears for a particular
kind of bicycle could be marked as static since conceptually the same number of gears will apply to
all instances. The code static int numGears = 6; would create such a static field. Additionally, the
keyword final could be added to indicate that the number of gears will never change.
• Local Variables Similar to how an object stores its state in fields, a method will often store its
temporary state in local variables. The syntax for declaring a local variable is similar to declaring a
field (for example, int count = 0;). There is no special keyword designating a variable as local; that
determination comes entirely from the location in which the variable is declared — which is
between the opening and closing braces of a method. As such, local variables are only visible to the
methods in which they are declared; they are not accessible from the rest of the class.
• Parameters. Recall that the signature for the main method is public static void main(String[] args).
Here, the args variable is the parameter to this method. The important thing to remember is that
parameters are always classified as "variables" not "fields". This applies to other parameter-
accepting constructs as well (such as constructors and exception handlers) that you'll learn about
later in the tutorial.
Naming Variables
Every programming language has its own set of rules and conventions for the kinds of names that you're
allowed to use, and the Java programming language is no different. The rules and conventions for naming
your variables can be summarized as follows:
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• Variable names consists of letters and digits, and underscore only.
• First character must be a letter.
• Variable name must not be a keyword or reserved word.
• No space on the variable name – join with underscore or capitalization if word consists of two words. E.g
First_Name or FirstName.
Primitive Data Types
The Java programming language is statically-typed, which means that all variables must first be declared
before they can be used. This involves stating the variable's type and name,e.g
int gear = 1;
Doing so tells your program that a field named "gear" exists, holds numerical data, and has an initial value
of "1".
A variable's data type determines the values it may contain, plus the operations that may be performed on
it. In addition to int, the Java programming language supports seven other primitive data types. A
primitive type is predefined by the language and is named by a reserved keyword. Primitive values do not
share state with other primitive values. The eight primitive data types supported by the Java programming
language are:
• byte: The byte data type is an 8-bit signed two's complement integer. It has a minimum value of -
128 and a maximum value of 127 (inclusive). The byte data type can be useful for saving memory
in large arrays, where the memory savings actually matters. They can also be used in place of int
where their limits help to clarify your code; the fact that a variable's range is limited can serve as a
form of documentation.
• short: The short data type is a 16-bit signed two's complement integer. It has a minimum value of
-32,768 and a maximum value of 32,767 (inclusive). As with byte, the same guidelines apply: you
can use a short to save memory in large arrays, in situations where the memory savings actually
matters.
• int: The int data type is a 32-bit signed two's complement integer. It has a minimum value of -
2,147,483,648 and a maximum value of 2,147,483,647 (inclusive). For integral values, this data
type is generally the default choice unless there is a reason (like the above) to choose something
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else. This data type will most likely be large enough for the numbers your program will use, but if
you need a wider range of values, use long instead.
• long: The long data type is a 64-bit signed two's complement integer. It has a minimum value of -
9,223,372,036,854,775,808 and a maximum value of 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 (inclusive). Use
this data type when you need a range of values wider than those provided by int.
• float: The float data type is a single-precision 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point. Its range of values
is beyond the scope of this discussion. As with the recommendations for byte and short, use a
float (instead of double) if you need to save memory in large arrays of floating point numbers.
This data type should never be used for precise values, such as currency.
• double: The double data type is a double-precision 64-bit IEEE 754 floating point. Its range of
values is beyond the scope of this discussion, but is specified in section. For decimal values, this
data type is generally the default choice. As mentioned above, this data type should never be used
for precise values, such as currency.
• boolean: The boolean data type has only two possible values: true and false. Use this data
type for simple flags that track true/false conditions. This data type represents one bit of
information, but its "size" isn't something that's precisely defined.
• char: The char data type is a single 16-bit Unicode character. It has a minimum value of
'\u0000' (or 0) and a maximum value of '\uffff' (or 65,535 inclusive).
In addition to the eight primitive data types listed above, the Java programming language also provides
special support for character strings via the java.lang.String class. Enclosing your character string within
double quotes will automatically create a new String object; for example, String s = "this is
a string";. String objects are immutable, which means that once created, their values cannot be
changed. The String class is not technically a primitive data type, but considering the special support
given to it by the language, you'll probably tend to think of it as such.
Declaring variables
Involves specifying data type and variable name.
Syntax : datatype VarName;
Examples :
int x;
double salary;
String Course;
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Default Values
It's not always necessary to assign a value when a field is declared. Fields that are declared but not
initialized will be set to a reasonable default by the compiler. Generally speaking, this default will be zero
or null, depending on the data type. Relying on such default values, however, is generally considered bad
programming style.
The following chart summarizes the default values for the above data types.
Data Type Default Value (for fields)
byte 0
short 0
int 0
long 0L
float 0.0f
double 0.0d
char '\u0000'
String (or any object) null
boolean false
Local variables are slightly different; the compiler never assigns a default value to an uninitialized local
variable. If you cannot initialize your local variable where it is declared, make sure to assign it a value
before you attempt to use it. Accessing an uninitialized local variable will result in a compile-time error.
Literals
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You may have noticed that the new keyword isn't used when initializing a variable of a primitive type.
Primitive types are special data types built into the language; they are not objects created from a class. A
literal is the source code representation of a fixed value; literals are represented directly in your code
without requiring computation. As shown below, it's possible to assign a literal to a variable of a primitive
type:
boolean result = true;
char capitalC = 'C';
byte b = 100;
short s = 10000;
int i = 100000;
Integer Literals
An integer literal is of type long if it ends with the letter L or l; otherwise it is of type int. It is
recommended that you use the upper case letter L because the lower case letter l is hard to distinguish
from the digit 1.
Values of the integral types byte, short, int, and long can be created from int literals. Values of
type long that exceed the range of int can be created from long literals. Integer literals can be
expressed these number systems:
• Decimal: Base 10, whose digits consists of the numbers 0 through 9; this is the number system you
use every day
• Hexadecimal: Base 16, whose digits consist of the numbers 0 through 9 and the letters A through F
• Binary: Base 2, whose digits consists of the numbers 0 and 1 (you can create binary literals in Java
SE 7 and later)
For general-purpose programming, the decimal system is likely to be the only number system you'll ever
use. However, if you need to use another number system, the following example shows the correct syntax.
The prefix 0x indicates hexadecimal and 0b indicates binary:
// The number 26, in decimal
int decVal = 26;
// The number 26, in hexadecimal
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int hexVal = 0x1a;
// The number 26, in binary
int binVal = 0b11010;
Floating-Point Literals
A floating-point literal is of type float if it ends with the letter F or f; otherwise its type is double and
it can optionally end with the letter D or d.
The floating point types (float and double) can also be expressed using E or e (for scientific notation),
F or f (32-bit float literal) and D or d (64-bit double literal; this is the default and by convention is omitted).
double d1 = 123.4;
// same value as d1, but
// in scientific notation
double d2 = 1.234e2;
float f1 = 123.4f;
Character and String Literals
Literals of types char and String may contain any Unicode (UTF-16) characters. If your editor and file
system allow it, you can use such characters directly in your code. If not, you can use a "Unicode escape"
such as '\u0108' (capital C with circumflex), or "S\u00ED Se\u00F1or" (Sí Señor in Spanish).
Always use 'single quotes' for char literals and "double quotes" for String literals. Unicode escape
sequences may be used elsewhere in a program (such as in field names, for example), not just in char or
String literals.
The Java programming language also supports a few special escape sequences for char and String
literals: \b (backspace), \t (tab), \n (line feed), \f (form feed), \r (carriage return), \" (double quote),
\' (single quote), and \\ (backslash).
There's also a special null literal that can be used as a value for any reference type. null may be
assigned to any variable, except variables of primitive types. There's little you can do with a null value
beyond testing for its presence. Therefore, null is often used in programs as a marker to indicate that
some object is unavailable.
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Finally, there's also a special kind of literal called a class literal, formed by taking a type name and
appending ".class"; for example, String.class. This refers to the object (of type Class) that
represents the type itself.
Initializing variables
This involves allocating some initial values to variables. Use the assignment operator (=).
Examples
int x=3;
double height=7.5;
String fname=”Kennedy”;
char letter = ‘K’;
Printing out variables variables
Use operator (+) to separate string constant with variable names
Example
class VarTest{
public static void main (String args[])
{
//declare and initialize variables
int x=3;
double height=7.5;
String fname="Kennedy";
char letter = 'K';
//display variables values
System.out.println("x is :"+x);
System.out.println("Theight is :"+height);
System.out.println("your first name is :"+fname);
System.out.println("your preferred letter is :"+letter);
}
}
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Using multiple variables in the same statement
Example
class VarTest{
public static void main (String args[]) {
int x=3;
double height=7.5;
String fname="Kennedy";
char letter = 'K';
System.out.println("x is :"+x);
System.out.println("Theight is :"+height);
System.out.println("your first name is :"+fname);
System.out.println("your preferred letter is :"+letter);
//after using variables in same statement.
System.out.println("x is :"+x+ " and the height is :"+ height+"."+fname
+ "is the first name");
}
}
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Constants
A constant variable or constant is a variable whose value never changes (which may seem strange given
the meaning of the word variable). Constants are useful for defining shared values for all the methods of an
object-for giving meaningful names to objectwide values that will never change. In Java, you can create
constants only for instance or class variables, not for local variables.
New Term
A constant is a variable whose value never changes.
To declare a constant, use the final keyword before the variable declaration and include an initial value
for that variable:
final float pi = 3.141592;
final boolean debug = false;
final int maxsize = 40000;
Technical Note
The only way to define constants in Java is by using the final keyword. Neither the C and
C++ constructs for #define nor const are available in Java, although the const keyword is
reserved to prevent you from accidentally using it.
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Constants can be useful for naming various states of an object and then testing for those states. For
example, suppose you have a test label that can be aligned left, right, or center. You can define those values
as constant integers:
final int LEFT = 0;
final int RIGHT = 1;
final int CENTER = 2;
The variable alignment is then also declared as an int:
int alignment;
Then, later in the body of a method definition, you can either set the alignment:
this.alignment = CENTER;
or test for a given alignment:
switch (this.alignment) {
case LEFT: // deal with left alignment
...
break;
case RIGHT: // deal with right alignment
...
break;
case CENTER: // deal with center alignment
...
break;
}
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