Create a Java class or type | Android Studio | Android Developers https://developer.android.

com/studio/write/create-java-class

Create a Java class or type

With the Create New Class dialog and file templates, Android Studio helps you to quickly
create the following new classes and types:

• Java classes

• Enumeration and singleton classes

• Interface and annotation types

After you fill in the Create New Class dialog fields and click OK, Android Studio creates a
.java file containing skeleton code, including a package statement, any necessary imports,
a header, and a class or type declaration. Next, you can add your code to this file.

File templates specify how Android Studio generates the skeleton code. You can use the file
templates provided with Android Studio as is, or customize them to suit your development
process.

Viewing and customizing file templates

Android Studio provides file templates that determine how new Java classes and types are
created with the Create New Class dialog. You can customize these templates.

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Figure 1. The Create New Class dialog.

The Android Studio file templates include Velocity Template Language (VTL
(https://velocity.apache.org/engine/)) code and variables that handle these additional options.
The Create New Class dialog uses the AnnotationType, Class, Enum, Interface, and
Singleton file templates.

To view the templates, find customizations, and modify the templates, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

• For Windows or Linux, select File > Settings > Editor > File and Code Templates
> Files.

• For macOS, select Android Studio > Preferences > Editor > File and Code
Templates > Files.

In the template list

(https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/2024.2/settings-file-and-code-templates.html), internal
template names are in bold font. Customized template names are displayed in a
highlight color, such as blue.

2. Customize the file templates as needed.

If you want to use the Create New Class dialog fields, make sure your changes comply
with the Android Studio file template code (#templates).

For more information about file templates, including VTL, see File and Code Templates
(https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/2024.2/file-and-code-templates.html) and File and Code
Templates Dialog (https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/2024.2/settings-file-and-code-templates.html).

Creating a Java class or type

Android Studio helps you to create new Java classes; enumeration and singleton classes;
and interface and annotation types based on file templates (#templates).

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To create a new Java class or type, follow these steps:

1. In the Project window, right-click a Java file or folder, and select New > Java Class.

Alternatively, select a Java file or folder in the Project window, or click in a Java file in
the Code Editor. Then select File > New > Java Class.

The item you select determines the default package for the new class or type.

2. In the Create New Class dialog, fill in the fields:

• Name - The name of the new class or type. It must comply with Java name
requirements. Don’t type a file name extension.

• Kind - Select the category of class or type.

• Superclass - The class that your new class inherits from. You can type the
package and class name, or just the class name and then double-click an item in
the drop-down list to autocomplete it.

• Interface(s) - One or more interfaces that the new class or type implements.
Multiple interfaces should be separated by a comma followed by an optional
space. You can type the package and interface name, or just the interface name
and then double-click an item in the drop-down list to autocomplete it.

Autocomplete works for the first interface name only. Note that while the comma
and the following interface name can bring up a tooltip error, you can ignore the
error because it doesn’t affect the generated code.

• Package - The package that the class or type will reside in. The default
automatically appears in the field. If you type a package name in the field, any
portions of the package identifier that don’t exist are highlighted red; in this case,
Android Studio creates the package after you click OK. This field must contain a
value; otherwise, the Java file won’t contain a package statement, and the class
or type won’t be placed within a package in the project.

The default depends on how you launched the Create New Class dialog. If you
first selected a Java file or folder in the Project window, the default is the
package for the item you selected. If you first clicked in a Java file in the Code
Editor, the default is the package that contains this file.

• Visibility - Select whether the class or type is visible to all classes, or just to

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those in its own package.

• Modifiers - Select the Abstract or Final modifier for a Class, or neither.

• Show Select Overrides Dialog - For a Kind of Class, check this option to open
the Select Methods to Override/Implement dialog
(https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/2024.2/overriding-methods-of-a-superclass.html)
after you click OK. In this dialog, you can select methods that you would like to
override or implement, and Android Studio will generate skeleton code for these
methods.

Any fields that don’t apply to the Kind are hidden.

3. Click OK.

Android Studio creates a Java file with skeleton code that you can modify. It opens the
file in the Code Editor.

Note: You can create a singleton class by selecting File > New > Singleton or File > New > Java Class;
the latter technique offers more options.

Android Studio file templates

This section lists the Android Studio file template code written in the VTL
(https://velocity.apache.org/engine/) scripting language, followed by definitions of the variables.
The values that you provide in the Create New Class dialog become the variable values in
the template. Note that the lines that begin with #if (${VISIBILITY} extend all the way to
the open brace ( { ).

AnnotationType file template

#if (${PACKAGE_NAME} != "")package ${PACKAGE_NAME};#end

#if (${IMPORT_BLOCK} != "")${IMPORT_BLOCK}

#end

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#parse("File Header.java")

#if (${VISIBILITY} == "PUBLIC")public #end @interface ${NAME} #if (${INTERFACES} != "")ex

}

Class file template

#if (${PACKAGE_NAME} != "")package ${PACKAGE_NAME};#end

#if (${IMPORT_BLOCK} != "")${IMPORT_BLOCK}

#end
#parse("File Header.java")

#if (${VISIBILITY} == "PUBLIC")public #end #if (${ABSTRACT} == "TRUE")abstract #end #if (

}

Enum file template

#if (${PACKAGE_NAME} != "")package ${PACKAGE_NAME};#end

#if (${IMPORT_BLOCK} != "")${IMPORT_BLOCK}

#end
#parse("File Header.java")

#if (${VISIBILITY} == "PUBLIC")public #end enum ${NAME} #if (${INTERFACES} != "")implemen

}

Interface file template

#if (${PACKAGE_NAME} != "")package ${PACKAGE_NAME};#end

#if (${IMPORT_BLOCK} != "")${IMPORT_BLOCK}

#end

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#parse("File Header.java")

#if (${VISIBILITY} == "PUBLIC")public #end enum ${NAME} #if (${INTERFACES} != "")implemen

#end {
}

Singleton file template

#if (${PACKAGE_NAME} != "")package ${PACKAGE_NAME};#end

#if (${IMPORT_BLOCK} != "")${IMPORT_BLOCK}

#end
#parse("File Header.java")

#if (${VISIBILITY} == "PUBLIC")public #end class ${NAME} #if (${SUPERCLASS} != "")extends

private static final ${NAME} ourInstance = new ${NAME}();

#if (${VISIBILITY} == "PUBLIC")public #end static ${NAME} getInstance() {

return ourInstance;
}

private ${NAME}() {
}
}

File template variables

Android Studio replaces file template variables with values in the generated Java file. You
enter the values in the Create New Class dialog. The template has the following variables
that you can use:

• IMPORT_BLOCK - A newline-delimited list of Java import statements necessary to

support any superclass or interfaces, or an empty string ( "" ). For example, If you only
implement the Runnable interface and extend nothing, this variable will be "import
java.lang.Runnable;\n" . If you implement the Runnable interface and extend the
Activity class, it will be "import android.app.Activity;
\nimportjava.lang.Runnable;\n" .

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• VISIBILITY - Whether the class will have public access or not. It can have a value of
PUBLIC or PACKAGE_PRIVATE .

• SUPERCLASS - A single class name, or empty. If present, there will be an extends

${SUPERCLASS} clause after the new class name.

• INTERFACES - A comma-separated list of interfaces, or empty. If present, there will be

an implements ${INTERFACES} clause after the superclass, or after the class name if
there’s no superclass. For interfaces and annotation types, the interfaces have the
extends keyword.

• ABSTRACT - Whether the class should be abstract or not. It can have a value of TRUE or
FALSE .

• FINAL - Whether the class should be final or not. It can have a value of TRUE or FALSE .

Content and code samples on this page are subject to the licenses described in the Content License (/license).
Java and OpenJDK are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Last updated 2025-06-10 UTC.

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