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Command line arguments

Command line arguments are inputs provided to programs when run from the command line, allowing the program to access or ignore them. In Java, these arguments are passed to the main method via the String[] args array, and it's important to check the number of provided arguments before accessing them. The document also includes an example Java program that demonstrates how to handle and display command line arguments.

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Jithin S
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3 views

Command line arguments

Command line arguments are inputs provided to programs when run from the command line, allowing the program to access or ignore them. In Java, these arguments are passed to the main method via the String[] args array, and it's important to check the number of provided arguments before accessing them. The document also includes an example Java program that demonstrates how to handle and display command line arguments.

Uploaded by

Jithin S
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Using Command Line Arguments

What are command line arguments?

When you run programs from the command line (pictured below) you enter the name of
the program followed by a list of arguments that the program can access (or ignore).

When you run a Java program, you


would first type the name of the
interpretter, followed by the name of
the class to run, followed by a list of
arguments. Something like this:
java EchoWords hello world
″Command Line″ Arguments in
Eclipse
So when you run your program
from Eclipse, where do the
″command line″ arguments go?

You can specify them by


- going to the Run menu,
- selecting Run Configuration
- going to the Arguments tab.
The command line arguments
can be entered in the Program
arguments dialog.
Using Command Line Arguments
The operating system reads the command line arguments and passes them to
the Java Virtual Machine. Then JVM passes them to your class inside the
String [] args array that is the parameter to main().

The length of the array args.length tells your program how many arguments
there are. You should always check that the user provided as many
arguments as your program expects before trying to access them.

The array locations are filled with individual arguments:


args[0], …, args[args.length ­1]
All the arguments are passed as String objects. Your program needs to
convert them to other types, if need be.
Example
public class EchoWords {

public static void main(String[] args) {

System.out.printf("There are %d command line arguments.\n",

args.length );

for (int i = 0; i < args.length; i++ ) {

System.out.println(args[i]);

for (int i = args.length ­ 1; i>= 0; i­­ ) {

System.out.println(args[i]);

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