Lab 1 Introduction

Prelab Exercises
Your task is to write a Java program that will print out the following message (including the row
of equal marks):
Computer Science, Yes!!!!
=========================
You can find an outline of the program is CSYes.java. Complete it as follows:
A. In the documentation at the top, fill in the name of the file the program would be saved in
and a brief description of what the program does
B. Add the code for the main method to do the printing.
Poem
Write a Java program that prints the message, "Roses are red". Your program will be a class
definition containing a main method. Remember the following:
 The name of the class must match the name of the file (but without the .java extension).
 The main method must be inside the class definition (between the first { and the last }).
 The statement that prints the message must be inside main.
Compile and run your program. When it works correctly, modify it so that it prints the entire
poem:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet
And so are you!
Comments
File Count.java contains a Java program that counts from 1 to 5 in English, French, and Spanish.
Compile and run it to see what it does. Then modify it as follows:
1. Use // style comments to add a comment header at the top of the file that includes the
name of the program, your name, and a brief description of what the program does, neatly
formatted. Include a delimiter line (e.g., all stars) at the beginning and end of the header.
2. Add a comment before each println that indicates what language the next line is in.
Experiment with leaving a blank line before each of these comment lines (in the program
itself, not the output). Is the program easier to read with or without these blank lines?
3. Remove one of the slashes from one of your comment lines and recompile the program,
so one of the comments starts with a single /. What error do you get? Put the slash back
in.
 4. Try putting a comment within a comment, so that a // appears after the initial // on a
comment line. Does this cause problems?
Program Names
File Simple.java contains a simple Java program that prints a message. The identifier that
represents the name of this program is Simple, but we could have chosen a different identifier
subject to certain rules and conventions. An identifier may contain any combination of letters,
digits, the underscore character, and the dollar sign, but cannot begin with a digit. Furthermore,
by convention, identifiers that represent class names (which includes program names) begin with
a capital letter. This means that you won't get an error if your program name doesn't start with a
capital letter (as long as what it starts with is legal for an identifier), but it's better style if you do.
This may seem arbitrary now, but later when you have lots of identifiers in your programs you'll
see the benefit. Of course, the program name should always be reasonably descriptive of the
program.
Indicate whether each name below is a legal identifier, and if so, whether it is a good choice to
name this program. If the answer to either question is no, explain why. Then save Simple.java to
your directory and check your answers by modifying it to try each—note that you will have to
change the file name each time to match the program name or you will always get an error.
1. simple (Why do you even have to change the name of the file in this case?)
2. SimpleProgram
3. 1Simple
4. _Simple_
5. *Simple*
6. $123_45
7. Simple!
Recognizing Syntax Errors
When you make syntax errors in your program the compiler gives error messages and does not
create the bytecode file. It saves time and frustration to learn what some of these messages are
and what they mean. Unfortunately, at this stage in the game many of the messages will not be
meaningful except to let you know where the first error occurred. Your only choice is to
carefully study your program to find the error. In the following you will introduce a few typical
errors into a simple program and examine the error messages.
1. Type the following program into a file called Hello.java. (This is the traditional first
program a computer scientist writes in a new language.)
// ********************************************
// Hello.java
//
// Print a Hello, World message.
// ********************************************
public class Hello {
 // -----------------------------------
// main method -- prints the greeting
// -----------------------------------
public static void main (String[] args) {
System.out.println ("Hello, World!");
}
}

Compile and run the program to see what it does. Then make the changes below, answering the
questions as you go.
2. Class name different from file name. Delete one l (el) from the name of the class (so
the first non-comment line is public class Helo), save the program, and recompile it.
What was the error message?
3. Misspelling inside string. Correct the mistake above, then delete one l from the Hello in
the message to be printed (inside the quotation marks). Save the program and recompile
it. There is no error message—why not? Now run the program. What has changed?
4. No ending quotation mark in a string literal. Correct the spelling in the string, then
delete the ending quotation mark enclosing the string Hello, World!. Save the program
and recompile it. What error message(s) do you get?
5. No beginning quotation mark in a string literal. Put the ending quotation mark back,
then take out the beginning one. Save and recompile. How many errors this time? Lots,
even though there is really only one error. When you get lots of errors always concentrate
on finding the first one listed!! Often fixing that one will fix the rest. After we study
variables the error messages that came up this time will make more sense.
6. No semicolon after a statement. Fix the last error (put the quotation mark back). Now
remove the semicolon at the end of the line that prints the message. Save the program and
recompile it. What error message(s) do you get?
Correcting Syntax Errors
File Problems.java contains a simple Java program that contains a number of syntax errors.
Study it and correct as many of the errors as you can find. Then compile the program; if there are
still errors, correct them. Some things to remember:
 Java is case sensitive, so, for example, the identifiers public, Public, and PUBLIC are all
considered different. For reserved words such as public and void and previously defined
identifiers such as String and System, you have to get the case right. You will learn the
conventions about case soon, but for now you can look at a sample program in the text to
see what case should be used where.
 When the compiler lists lots of errors, fix the first one (or few) and then recompile—often
the later errors aren't really errors in the program, they just indicate that the compiler is
confused from earlier errors.
 Read the error messages carefully, and note what line numbers they refer to. Often the
messages are helpful, but even when they aren't, the line numbers usually are.
 When the program compiles cleanly, run it.