Java Programming

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Data type in java

Data types in Java specify how memory stores the values of the variable. Each
variable has a data type that decides the value the variable will hold.
Moreover, Primitive Data Types are also used with functions to define their
return type.

Data Types in Java

Data types in Java are divided into 2 categories:

1. Primitive Data Types

2. Non-Primitive Data Types

1. Primitive Data Types

Primitive data types specify the size and type of variable values. They are
the building blocks of data manipulation and cannot be further divided into
simpler data types.

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Boolean type – Boolean

A boolean data type can store either True or False. They can be used to check
whether two values are equal or not (basically in conditional statements to
return True or False). Typically, programmers use it as a flag variable to track
true or false conditions.

The default boolean value is False. Moreover, the boolean type’s size depends
on the Java Virtual Machine. Therefore, it fluctuates on different platforms.

Example-

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Output: Boolean value is True

Character type – char:

The char data type stores a single character. It stores lowercase and
uppercase characters, which must be enclosed in single quotes. The char data
type in Java supports Unicode characters and provides provision to multiple
languages like English, French, German, etc. It takes memory space of 16 bits
or 2 bytes. The values stored range between 0 to 65536.

Example:-

Output: Ad

Integer type:

An integer type stores an integer number with no fractional or decimal places.

Java has four integer types – byte, short, int, and long.

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• Byte

The byte is the smallest data type among all the integer data types. It is an 8-
bit signed two’s complement integer. It stores whole numbers ranging from -
128 to 127.

Syntax: byte byteVariable;

• Short

Short is a 16-bit signed two’s complement integer. It stores whole numbers

with values ranging from -32768 to 32767. Its default value is 0.

Syntax: short shortVariable;

• Int

Int is a 32-bit signed two’s complement integer that stores integral values
ranging from 2147483648 (-2^31) to 2147483647 (2^31 -1). Its default value
is 0.

Syntax: int intVariable;

• Long

long is a 64-bit signed two’s complement integer that stores values ranging
from -9223372036854775808(-2^63) to 9223372036854775807(2^63 -1). It
is used when we need a range of values more than those provided by int. Its
default value is 0L. This data type ends with ‘L’ or ‘l’.

Syntax: long longVariable;

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Example:

The integer value is 10

Output: The short variable is 2

The byte variable is 6

The long variable is 125362133223

Float type:

Floating-point is used for expressions involving fractional precision. It has two

types: float and double.

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1. Float

It is a floating-point data type that stores the values, including their decimal
precision. It is not used for precise data such as currency or research data.

A Float value:

• is a single-precision 32-bit or 4 bytes IEEE 754 floating-point

• can have a 7-digit decimal precision
• ends with an ‘f’ or ‘F’
• default value = 0.0f
• stores fractional numbers ranging from 3.4e-038 to 3.4e+038

Syntax: float floatVariable;

2. Double

The double data type is similar to float. The difference between the two is
that is double twice the float in the case of decimal precision. It is used for
decimal values just like float and should not be used for precise values.

A double value:

• is a double-precision 64-bit or 8 bytes IEEE 754 floating-point

• can have a 15-digit decimal precision
• default value = 0.0d
• stores fractional numbers ranging from 1.7e-308 to 1.7e+308

Syntax: double doubleVariable;

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Example:

Output:

Primitive Data Types Table – Default Value, Size, and Range:

Data Type Default Default Range
Value size
byte 0 1 byte or 8 -128 to 127
bits
short 0 2 bytes or -32,768 to 32,767
16 bits
int 0 4 bytes or 2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
32 bits
long 0 8 bytes or 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to
64 bits 9,223,372,036,854,775,807
float 0.0f 4 bytes or 1.4e-045 to 3.4e+038
32 bits
double 0.0d 8 bytes or 4.9e-324 to 1.8e+308
64 bits
char ‘\u0000’ 2 bytes or 0 to 65536
16 bits
boolean FALSE 1 byte or 2 0 or 1
bytes

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2.Non-Primitive Data Types

Non-primitive data types or reference data types refer to instances or
objects. They cannot store the value of a variable directly in memory.
They store a memory address of the variable. Unlike primitive data
types we define by Java, non-primitive data types are user-defined.
Programmers create them and can be assigned with null. All non-
primitive data types are of equal size.

Array
An array holds elements of the same type. It is an object in Java, and
the array name (used for declaration) is a reference value that carries
the base address of the continuous location of elements of an array.

Example:
int Array_Name = new int[7];

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String
The String data type stores a sequence or array of characters. A string
is a non-primitive data type, but it is predefined in Java. String literals
are enclosed in double quotes.

Output:

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Class
A class is a user-defined data type from which objects are created. It describes
the set of properties or methods common to all objects of the same type. It
contains fields and methods that represent the behaviour of an object. A class
gets invoked by the creation of the respective object.

There are two types of classes: a blueprint and a template. For instance, the
architectural diagram of a building is a class, and the building itself is an object
created using the architectural diagram.

Example:

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Interface
An interface is declared like a class. The key difference is that the interface
contains abstract methods by default; they have nobody.

Example:

Enum
An enum, similar to a class, has attributes and methods. However, unlike
classes, enum constants are public, static, and final (unchangeable – cannot
be overridden). Developers cannot use an enum to create objects, and it
cannot extend other classes. But, the enum can implement interfaces.

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Declaration of an Enum:

enum Level {
LOW,
MEDIUM,
HIGH
}

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