Java Basic Input and Output
In this tutorial, you will learn simple ways to display output to users and take
input from users in Java.
Java Output
In Java, you can simply use
System.out.println(); or
System.out.print(); or
System.out.printf();
to send output to standard output (screen).
Here,
• System is a class
• out is a public static field: it accepts output data.
Don't worry if you don't understand it. We will discuss class , public ,
and static in later chapters.
Let's take an example to output a line.
class AssignmentOperator {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Java programming is interesting.");
}
}
Run Code
Output:
Java programming is interesting.
Here, we have used the println() method to display the string.
Difference between println(), print() and printf()
• print() - It prints string inside the quotes.
• println() - It prints string inside the quotes similar like print() method. Then
the cursor moves to the beginning of the next line.
• printf() - It provides string formatting (similar to printf in C/C++
programming).
Example: print() and println()
class Output {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("1. println ");
System.out.println("2. println ");
System.out.print("1. print ");
System.out.print("2. print");
}
}
Run Code
Output:
1. println
2. println
1. print 2. print
In the above example, we have shown the working of
the print() and println() methods. To learn about the printf() method,
visit Java printf().
Example: Printing Variables and Literals
class Variables {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Double number = -10.6;
System.out.println(5);
System.out.println(number);
}
}
Run Code
When you run the program, the output will be:
5
-10.6
Here, you can see that we have not used the quotation marks. It is because to
display integers, variables and so on, we don't use quotation marks.
Example: Print Concatenated Strings
class PrintVariables {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Double number = -10.6;
System.out.println("I am " + "awesome.");
System.out.println("Number = " + number);
}
}
Run Code
Output:
I am awesome.
Number = -10.6
In the above example, notice the line,
System.out.println("I am " + "awesome.");
Here, we have used the + operator to concatenate (join) the two strings: "I am
" and "awesome." .
And also, the line,
System.out.println("Number = " + number);
Here, first the value of variable number is evaluated. Then, the value is
concatenated to the string: "Number = ".
Java Input
Java provides different ways to get input from the user. However, in this
tutorial, you will learn to get input from user using the object of Scanner class.
In order to use the object of Scanner , we need to
import java.util.Scanner package.
import java.util.Scanner;
To learn more about importing packages in Java, visit Java Import Packages.
Then, we need to create an object of the Scanner class. We can use the object to
take input from the user.
// create an object of Scanner
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
// take input from the user
int number = input.nextInt();
Example: Get Integer Input From the User
import java.util.Scanner;
class Input {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.print("Enter an integer: ");
int number = input.nextInt();
System.out.println("You entered " + number);
// closing the scanner object
input.close();
}
}
Run Code
Output:
Enter an integer: 23
You entered 23
In the above example, we have created an object named input of
the Scanner class. We then call the nextInt() method of the Scanner class to get
an integer input from the user.
Similarly, we can use nextLong() , nextFloat() , nextDouble() , and next() methods
to get long , float , double , and string input respectively from the user.
Note: We have used the close() method to close the object. It is recommended
to close the scanner object once the input is taken.
Example: Get float, double and String Input
import java.util.Scanner;
class Input {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
// Getting float input
System.out.print("Enter float: ");
float myFloat = input.nextFloat();
System.out.println("Float entered = " + myFloat);
// Getting double input
System.out.print("Enter double: ");
double myDouble = input.nextDouble();
System.out.println("Double entered = " + myDouble);
// Getting String input
System.out.print("Enter text: ");
String myString = input.next();
System.out.println("Text entered = " + myString);
}
}
Run Code
Output:
Enter float: 2.343
Float entered = 2.343
Enter double: -23.4
Double entered = -23.4
Enter text: Hey!
Text entered = Hey!
As mentioned, there are other several ways to get input from the user. To
learn more about Scanner , visit Java Scanner.
