Lecture
Java Variables and
Data Types
List of Concepts Involved:
Statically typed vs Dynamically typed Programming Language
Variables and data types
Naming Convention
Identifiers
Introduction of Operators in Java
Incrementation and Decrementation
Topics covered Yesterday's Session:
Fundamentals of Java
Statically typed vs Dynamically typed
Statically typed: Programming languages are referred to as "Static typed" if the
memory of the variable is provided at the time of compilation.
For instance, C, C++, and Java
Dynamically typed: Programming languages are said to as "dynamically typed"
if the memory for the variable is provided at the time of execution.
Like Python, PHP, and JavaScript
Variables
● A variable is the name of a memory-allocated reserved area. It may be thought of as
the name of a memory location, in other words.
● While the Java programme is running, the value is held in a container.
● To identify the storage location, each variable needs to have a special name.
● A data type is assigned to a variable (we will learn about it after this topic).
Syntax for Declaring a Variable:
Type variable_name = value;
The name of a variable is variable_name. The variable can be initialised by
supplying an equal sign and a value (initialization i.e. assigning an initial value, is
optional). However, a Java uninitialized local variable is never given a default
value by the compiler.
Naming Conventions for variables in
Java
Variable names should not begin with a number.For example
int 2 var; // 2 var is an invalid variable.
White Spaces are not permitted in variable names. For example,
int cricket score; // invalid variables.
There is a gap/whitespace between cricket and score.
A java keyword (reserved word) cannot be used as a variable name. For
example, int float; is an invalid expression as float is a predefined
keyword(we will learn about them) in java.
Naming Conventions for variables in
Java
As per the latest coding practices, for variable names with more than one word
the first word has all lowercase letters and the first letter of subsequent words are
capitalised. For example, cricketScore, codePracticeProgram etc. This type of
format is called camelcase.
While creating variables, it's preferable to give them meaningful names like-
‘age’, ‘earning’, ‘value’ etc. for instance, makes much more sense than variable
names like a, e, and v.
We use all lowercase letters when creating a one-word variable name. It's
preferable(and in practice) to use physics rather than PHYSICS or pHYSICS.
Data Types:
There are two types of data types in Java:
1. Primitive data types: The primitive data types include boolean, char, byte,
short, int, long, float and double.
2. Non-primitive data types: The non-primitive data types include classes,
Strings, Interfaces, and Arrays.
Data Types:
Java Data Types
Primitive Non-Primitive
Integer Float-Point Number Characters Boolean
String
Array
Short double char boolean
Classes
byte float
Etc
int
long
Primitive data types
A primitive type is predefined by the language and is named by a reserved keyword.
1. boolean
2. byte
3. short
4. int
5. long
6. double
7. float
8. char
Once we have mastered the primitives and are well informed in the Java programming
principles, we will discuss the slightly more complex non-primitive data types.
Identifiers
An identifier is a name given to a package, class, interface, method, or variable. All identifiers
must have different names.
In Java, there are a few points to remember while dealing with identifiers :
Rule 1 − All identifiers should begin with a letter (A to Z or a to z), $ and _ and must be
unique.
Rule 2 − After the first character/letter, identifiers can have any combination of characters.
Rule 3 − A keyword cannot be used as an identifier.
Rule 4 − The identifiers are case-sensitive.
Rule 5 – Whitespaces are not permitted.
Examples of legal identifiers: rank, $name, _rate, __2_mark.
Examples of illegal identifiers: 102pqr, -name.
Operators in Java
Operators in Java can be classified into 6 types:
1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Relational Operators
3. Logical Operators
4. Assignment Operators
5. Unary Operators
6. Bitwise Operators
Java Arithmetic operators:
Arithmetic operators are used in mathematical expressions in the same way that they
are used in algebra. The following lists the arithmetic operators:
1. Addition(+)
2. Subtraction(-)
3. Multiplication(*)
4. Division(/)
5. Modulus(%)
Incrementation and Decrementation
++ Increment
-- Decrement
Next Lecture
More on Operators and loops
THANK YOU
