Chapter 2

Programming Building Blocks

— Java Basics
 Java Basics
• Java Application Structure

• Data Types, Variables, and Constants

• Expressions and Arithmetic Operators

 Java Application Structure
• All programs consist of at least one class.
• See Example 2.1 SkeletonApplication for
standard form of Java application
• Java source code file must have same name
as class with .java extension.
 Identifiers - symbolic names
• Identifiers are used to name classes, variables,
and methods
• Identifier Rules:
– Must start with a "Java letter"
• A - Z, a - z, _, $, and Unicode letters
– Can contain essentially any number of Java letters
and digits, but no spaces
– Case sensitive!!
• Number1 and number1 are different!
– Cannot be keywords or reserved words
• See Appendix A
 Program Building Blocks
• The Statement
– Performs some action
– Terminates with a semicolon (;)
– Can span multiple lines
 Building Blocks - The Block
• The Block
– 0, 1, or more statements
– Begins and ends with curly braces { }
– Can be used anywhere a statement is allowed.
 Building Blocks - White Space
• Space, tab, newline are white space
characters
• At least one white space character is
required between a keyword and identifier
• Any amount of white space characters are
permitted between identifiers, keywords,
operators, and literals
To increase readability of your code, surround
operators and operands with white space
and skip lines between logical sections of
program
 Building Blocks - Comments
• Comments explain the program to yourself
and others
• Block comments
– Can span several lines
– Begin with /*
– End with */
– Compiler ignores all text between /* and */
• Line comments
– Start with //
– Compiler ignores text from // to end of line
• Include a block comment at the beginning
of each source file
– identify the author of the program
– briefly describe the function of the
program
 Data Types, Variables, and
Constants
• Declaring Variables
• Primitive Data Types
• Initial Values and Literals
• String Literals and Escape Sequences
• Constants
 Data Types
• For all data, assign a name (identifier) and a
data type
• Data type tells compiler:
– How much memory to allocate
– Format in which to store data
– Types of operations you will perform on data
• Compiler monitors use of data
– Java is a "strongly typed" language
• Java "primitive data types"
byte, short, int, long, float, double, char, boolean
 Declaring Variables
• Variables hold one value at a time, but that
value can change
• Syntax:
dataType identifier;
or
dataType identifier1, identifier2, …;
• Naming convention for variable names:
– first letter is lowercase
– embedded words begin with uppercase letter
• Names of variables should be meaningful
and reflect the data they will store
– This makes the logic of the program clearer
• Don't skimp on characters, but avoid
extremely long names
• Avoid names similar to Java keywords
 Integer Types - Whole Numbers
Type Size Minimum Value Maximum Value
in Bytes
byte 1 -128 127
short 2 -32,768 32,767
int 4 -2, 147, 483, 648 2, 147, 483, 647
long 8 -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 9,223,372,036,854,775,807

Example declarations:
int testGrade;
int numPlayers, highScore, diceRoll;
short xCoordinate, yCoordinate;
byte ageInYears;
long cityPopulation;
 Floating-Point Data Types
• Numbers with fractional parts
Type Size Minimum Value Maximum Value
in Bytes
float 4 1.4E-45 3.4028235E38
double 8 4.9E-324 1.7976931348623157E308

Example declarations:
float salesTax;
double interestRate;
double paycheck, sumSalaries;
 char Data Type
• One Unicode character (16 bits - 2 bytes)
Type Size Minimum Value Maximum Value
in Bytes
char 2 character character
encoded as 0 encoded as FFFF

Example declarations:
char finalGrade;
char newline, tab, doubleQuotes;
 boolean Data Type
• Two values only:
true
false
• Used for decision making or as "flag"
variables
• Example declarations:
boolean isEmpty;
boolean passed, failed;
 Assigning Values to Variables
• Assignment operator =
– Value on the right of the operator is assigned to
the variable on the left
– Value on the right can be a literal (text
representing a specific value), another variable,
or an expression (explained later)
• Syntax:
dataType variableName = initialValue;
Or
dataType variable1 = initialValue1,
variable2 = initialValue2, …;
 Literals
• int, short, byte
Optional initial sign (+ or -) followed by
digits 0 – 9 in any combination.
• long
Optional initial sign (+ or -) followed by
digits 0–9 in any combination, terminated
with an L or l.
***Use the capital L because the lowercase l
can be confused with the number 1.
 Floating-Point Literals
• float
Optional initial sign (+ or -) followed by a
floating-point number in fixed or scientific
format, terminated by an F or f.
• double
Optional initial sign (+ or -) followed by a
floating-point number in fixed or scientific
format.
• Commas, dollar signs, and percent signs
(%) cannot be used in integer or floating-
point literals
 char and boolean Literals
• char
– Any printable character enclosed in single
quotes
– A decimal value from 0 – 65535
– '\m' , where \m is an escape sequence. For
example, '\n' represents a newline, and '\t'
represents a tab character.
• boolean
true or false
See Example 2.2 Variables.java
 Assigning the Values of Other
Variables
• Syntax:
dataType variable2 = variable1;
• Rules:
1. variable1 needs to be defined before this
statement appears in the source code
2. variable1 and variable2 need to be compatible
data types; in other words, the precision of
variable1 must be lower than or equal to that of
variable2.
 Compatible Data Types
Any type in right column can be assigned to type in left
column:

Data Type Compatible Data Types

byte byte
short byte, short
int byte, short, int, char
long byte, short, int, long, char
float float, byte, short, int, long, char
double float, double, byte, short, int, long, char
boolean boolean
char char
 Sample Assignments
• This is a valid assignment:
float salesTax = .05f;
double taxRate = salesTax;

• This is invalid because the float data type is

lower in precision than the double data
type:
double taxRate = .05;
float salesTax = taxRate;
 String Literals
• String is actually a class, not a basic data
type; String variables are objects
• String literal: text contained within double
quotes.
• Example of String literals:
"Hello"
"Hello world"
"The value of x is "
 String Concatenation Operator (+)
• Combines String literals with other data
types for printing

• Example:
String hello = "Hello";
String there = "there";
String greeting = hello + ' ' + there;
System.out.println( greeting );
Output is:
Hello there
 Common Error Trap
• String literals must start and end on the
same line. This statement:
System.out.println( "Never pass a water fountain
without taking a drink" );
generates these compiler errors:
unclosed string literal
')' expected
• Break long Strings into shorter Strings and use the
concatenation operator:
System.out.println( "Never pass a water fountain"
+ " without taking a drink" );
 Escape Sequences
• To include a special character in a String, use an
escape sequence
Character Escape Sequence
Newline \n
Tab \t
Double quotes \"
Single quote \'
Backslash \\
Backspace \b
Carriage return \r
Form feed \f
See Example 2.3 Literals.java
• Declare a variable only once
• Once a variable is declared, its data type
cannot be changed.
These statements:
double twoCents;
double twoCents = .02;
generate this compiler error:
twoCents is already defined
• Once a variable is declared, its data type
cannot be changed.
These statements:
double cashInHand;
int cashInHand;
generate this compiler error:
cashInHand is already defined
 Constants
• Value cannot change during program
execution
• Syntax:
final dataType constantIdentifier =
assignedValue;
Note: assigning a value when the constant is
declared is optional. But a value must be assigned
before the constant is used.

• See Example 2.4 Constants.java

• Use all capital letters for constants and
separate words with an underscore:
Example:
final double TAX_RATE = .05;
• Declare constants at the top of the program
so their values can easily be seen
• Declare as a constant any data that should
not change during program execution
 Expressions and Arithmetic
Operators
• The Assignment Operator and Expressions
• Arithmetic Operators
• Operator Precedence
• Integer Division and Modulus
• Division by Zero
• Mixed-Type Arithmetic and Type Casting
• Shortcut Operators
 Assignment Operator
Syntax:
target = expression;

expression: operators and operands that

evaluate to a single value
--value is then assigned to target
--target must be a variable (or constant)
--value must be compatible with target's
data type
 Examples:
int numPlayers = 10; // numPlayers holds 10
numPlayers = 8; // numPlayers now holds 8

int legalAge = 18;

int voterAge = legalAge;

The next statement is illegal

int height = weight * 2; // weight is not defined
int weight = 20;
and generates the following compiler error:
illegal forward reference
 Arithmetic Operators
Operator Operation
+ addition
- subtraction
* multiplication
/ division
% modulus
(remainder after
division)
 Example
• See Example 2.7 SimpleOperators.java
 Operator Precedence
Operator Order of Operation
evaluation
() left - right parenthesis for
explicit grouping
* / % left - right multiplication,
division, modulus
+ - left - right addition,
subtraction
= right - left assignment
 Example
You have 2 quarters, 3 dimes, and 2 nickels.
How many pennies are these coins worth?

int pennies = 2 * 25 + 3 * 10 + 2 * 5;
= 50 + 30 + 10
= 90
 Another Example
Translate x into Java:
2y

// incorrect!
double result = x / 2 * y;
=> x * y
2

// correct
double result = x / ( 2 * y );
 Integer Division & Modulus
• When dividing two integers:
– the quotient is an integer
– the remainder is truncated (discarded)
• To get the remainder, use the modulus
operator with the same operands
• See Example 2.8 DivisionAndModulus.java
 Division by Zero
• Integer division by 0:
Example: int result = 4 / 0;
• No compiler error, but at run time, JVM
generates ArithmeticException and program
stops executing
• Floating-point division by 0:
– If dividend is not 0, the result is Infinity
– If dividend and divisor are both 0, the result is
NaN (not a number)
• See Example 2.9 DivisionByZero.java
 Mixed-Type Arithmetic
• When performing calculations with operands
of different data types:
– Lower-precision operands are promoted to higher-
precision data types, then the operation is
performed
– Promotion is effective only for expression
evaluation; not a permanent change
– Called "implicit type casting"
• Bottom line: any expression involving a
floating-point operand will have a floating-
point result.
 Rules of Promotion
Applies the first of these rules that fits:
1. If either operand is a double, the other operand is
converted to a double.
2. If either operand is a float, the other operand is
converted to a float.
3. If either operand is a long, the other operand is
converted to a long.
4. If either operand is an int, the other operand is promoted
to an int
5. If neither operand is a double, float, long, or an int, both
operands are promoted to int.
 Explicit Type Casting
• Syntax:
(dataType)( expression )
Note: parentheses around expression are
optional if expression consists of 1 variable

• Useful for calculating averages

• See Example 2.10, MixedDataTypes.java
 Shortcut Operators
++ increment by 1 -- decrement by 1
Example:
count++; // count = count + 1;
count--; // count = count - 1;

Postfix version (var++, var--): use value of

var in expression, then increment or
decrement.
Prefix version (++var, --var): increment or
decrement var, then use value in expression
See Example 2.11 ShortcutOperators
 More Shortcut Operators
Operator Example Equivalent

+= a += 3; a = a + 3;

-= a -= 10; a = a - 10;

*= a *= 4; a = a * 4;

/= a /= 7; a = a / 7;

%= a %= 10; a = a % 10;
 Common Error Trap
• No spaces are allowed between the
arithmetic operator and the equals sign
• Note that the correct sequence is +=, not =+
Example: add 2 to a
// incorrect
a =+ 2; // a = +2; assigns 2 to 2

// correct
a += 2; // a = a + 2;
 Operator Precedence
Operator Order of Operation
evaluation
( ) left - right parenthesis for explicit
grouping
++ -- right - left preincrement, predecrement
++ -- right - left postincrement, postdecrement
* / % left - right multiplication, division,
modulus
+ - left - right addition or String
concatenation, subtraction
= += -= right - left assignment
*= /= %=