Java is a programming language.

Java is used to develop mobile apps, web apps, desktop apps, games and much
more.

What is Java?
Java is a popular programming language, created in 1995.

It is owned by Oracle, and more than 3 billion devices run Java.

It is used for:

• Mobile applications (specially Android apps)

• Desktop applications
• Web applications
• Web servers and application servers
• Games
• Database connection
• And much, much more!

Why Use Java?

• Java works on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi,
etc.)
• It is one of the most popular programming language in the world
• It is easy to learn and simple to use
• It is open-source and free
• It is secure, fast and powerful
• It has a huge community support (tens of millions of developers)
• Java is an object oriented language which gives a clear structure to
programs and allows code to be reused, lowering development costs
• As Java is close to C++ and C#, it makes it easy for programmers to
switch to Java or vice versa

Setup for Windows

To install Java on Windows:
 1. Go to "System Properties" (Can be found on Control Panel > System and
Security > System > Advanced System Settings)
2. Click on the "Environment variables" button under the "Advanced" tab
3. Then, select the "Path" variable in System variables and click on the
"Edit" button
4. Click on the "New" button and add the path where Java is installed,
followed by \bin. By default, Java is installed in C:\Program
Files\Java\jdk-11.0.1 (If nothing else was specified when you installed it).
In that case, You will have to add a new path with: C:\Program
Files\Java\jdk-11.0.1\bin
Then, click "OK", and save the settings
5. At last, open Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and type java -version to see
if Java is running on your machine

Java Quickstart
In Java, every application begins with a class name, and that class must match
the filename.

Let's create our first Java file, called MyClass.java, which can be done in any
text editor (like Notepad).

The file should contain a "Hello World" message, which is written with the
following code

MyClass.java

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

System.out.println("Hello World");

Don't worry if you don't understand the code above - we will discuss it in detail
in later chapters. For now, focus on how to run the code above.

Save the code in Notepad as "MyClass.java". Open Command Prompt

(cmd.exe), navigate to the directory where you saved your file, and type "javac
MyClass.java":
This will compile your code. If there are no errors in the code, the command
prompt will take you to the next line. Now, type "java MyClass" to run the file:

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello World");
}
}

Java Syntax
In the previous chapter, we created a Java file called MyClass.java, and we used
the following code to print "Hello World" to the screen:

MyClass.java

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

System.out.println("Hello World");

Run example »

Example explained
Every line of code that runs in Java must be inside a class. In our example, we
named the class MyClass. A class should always start with an uppercase first
letter.

Note: Java is case-sensitive: "MyClass" and "myclass" has different meaning.

The name of the java file must match the class name. When saving the file,
save it using the class name and add ".java" to the end of the filename. To run
the example above on your computer, make sure that Java is properly installed:
Go to the Get Started Chapter for how to install Java. The output should be:

The main Method

The main() method is required and you will see it in every Java program:
public static void main(String[] args)

Any code inside the main() method will be executed. You don't have to
understand the keywords before and after main. You will get to know them bit
by bit while reading this tutorial.

For now, just remember that every Java program has a class name which must
match the filename, and that every program must contain the main() method.

System.out.println()
Inside the main() method, we can use the println() method to print a line of text
to the screen:

public static void main(String[] args) {

System.out.println("Hello World");

Java Comments
Comments can be used to explain Java code, and to make it more readable. It
can also be used to prevent execution when testing alternative code.

Single-line comments start with two forward slashes (//).

Any text between // and the end of the line is ignored by Java (will not be
executed).

This example uses a single-line comment before a line of code:

Example
// This is a comment

System.out.println("Hello World");

Run example »

This example uses a single-line comment at the end of a line of code:

Java Multi-line Comments
Multi-line comments start with /* and ends with */.

Any text between /* and */ will be ignored by Java.

This example uses a multi-line comment (a comment block) to explain the

code:

Example
/* The code below will print the words Hello World

to the screen, and it is amazing */

System.out.println("Hello World");

Example
System.out.println("Hello World"); // This is a comment

Run example »

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello World"); // This is a comment
}
}

ava Variables
Variables are containers for storing data values.

In Java, there are different types of variables, for example:

• String - stores text, such as "Hello". String values are surrounded by

double quotes
 • int - stores integers (whole numbers), without decimals, such as 123 or -
123
• float - stores floating point numbers, with decimals, such as 19.99 or -
19.99
• char - stores single characters, such as 'a' or 'B'. Char values are
surrounded by single quotes
• boolean - stores values with two states: true or false

Declaring (Creating) Variables

To create a variable, you must specify the type and assign it a value:

Syntax
type variable = value;

Where type is one of Java's types (such as int or String), and variable is the
name of the variable (such as x or name). The equal sign is used to assign
values to the variable.

To create a variable that should store text, look at the following example:

Example
Create a variable called name of type String and assign it the value "John":

String name = "John";

System.out.println(name);

o create a variable that should store a number, look at the following example:

Example
Create a variable called myNum of type int and assign it the value 15:

int myNum = 15;

System.out.println(myNum);

You can also declare a variable without assigning the value, and assign the
value later:
Example
int myNum;

myNum = 15;

System.out.println(myNum);

Note that if you assign a new value to an existing variable, it will overwrite the
previous value:

Example
Change the value of myNum from 15 to 20:

int myNum = 15;

myNum = 20; // myNum is now 20

System.out.println(myNum);

Final Variables
However, you can add the final keyword if you don't want others (or yourself)
to overwrite existing values (this will declare the variable as "final" or
"constant", which means unchangeable and read-only):

Example
final int myNum = 15;

myNum = 20; // will generate an error: cannot assign a value to a final

variable

Other Types
A demonstration of how to declare variables of other types:

Example
int myNum = 5;
float myFloatNum = 5.99f;

char myLetter = 'D';

boolean myBool = true;

String myText = "Hello";

Display Variables
The println() method is often used to display variables.

To combine both text and a variable, use the + character:

Example
String name = "John";

System.out.println("Hello " + name);

Run example »

You can also use the + character to add a variable to another variable:

Example
String firstName = "John ";

String lastName = "Doe";

String fullName = firstName + lastName;

System.out.println(fullName);

For numeric values, the + character works as a mathematical operator (notice

that we use int (integer) variables here):

Example
int x = 5;

int y = 6;

System.out.println(x + y); // Print the value of x + y

From the example above, you can expect:

• x stores the value 5

• y stores the value 6
• Then we use the println() method to display the value of x + y, which
is 11

Declare Many Variables

To declare more than one variable of the same type, use a comma-separated
list:

Example
int x = 5, y = 6, z = 50;

System.out.println(x + y + z);

Run example »

Java Identifiers
All Java variables must be identified with unique names.

These unique names are called identifiers.

Identifiers can be short names (like x and y) or more descriptive names (age,
sum, totalVolume).

Note: It is recommended to use descriptive names in order to create

understandable and maintainable code:

Example
// Good

int minutesPerHour = 60;

// OK, but not so easy to understand what m actually is

int m = 60;

Run example »

The general rules for constructing names for variables (unique identifiers) are:

• Names can contain letters, digits, underscores, and dollar signs

• Names must begin with a letter
• Names should start with a lowercase letter and it cannot contain
whitespace
• Names can also begin with $ and _ (but we will not use it in this tutorial)
• Names are case sensitive ("myVar" and "myvar" are different variables)
• Reserved words (like Java keywords, such as int or boolean) cannot be
used as names

Java Data Types

As explained in the previous chapter, a variable in Java must be a specified data
type:

Example
int myNum = 5; // Integer (whole number)

float myFloatNum = 5.99f; // Floating point number

char myLetter = 'D'; // Character

boolean myBool = true; // Boolean

String myText = "Hello"; // String

Data types are divided into two groups:

• Primitive data types -

includes byte, short, int, long, float, double, boolean and char
• Non-primitive data types - such as String, Arrays and Classes (you will
learn more about these in a later chapter)
Primitive Data Types
A primitive data type specifies the size and type of variable values, and it has
no additional methods.

There are eight primitive data types in Java:

Numbers
Primitive number types are divided into two groups:

Integer types stores whole numbers, positive or negative (such as 123 or -

456), without decimals. Valid types are byte, short, int and long. Which type you
should use, depends on the numeric value.

Floating point types represents numbers with a fractional part, containing one
or more decimals. There are two types: float and double.

Even though there are many numeric types in Java, the most used for numbers
are int (for whole numbers) and double (for floating point numbers). However,
we will describe them all as you continue to read.

Integer Types
Byte
The byte data type can store whole numbers from -128 to 127. This can be used
instead of int or other integer types to save memory when you are certain that
the value will be within -128 and 127:
Example
byte myNum = 100;

System.out.println(myNum);

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
byte myNum = 100;
System.out.println(myNum);
}
}

RESULT WILL BE 100

Short
The short data type can store whole numbers from -32768 to 32767:

Example
short myNum = 5000;

System.out.println(myNum);

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
short myNum = 5000;
System.out.println(myNum);
}
}

RESULT WILL BE 5000

Int
The int data type can store whole numbers from -2147483648 to
2147483647. In general, and in our tutorial, the int data type is the preferred
data type when we create variables with a numeric value.

Example
int myNum = 100000;

System.out.println(myNum);

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int myNum = 100000;
System.out.println(myNum);
}
}
RESULT WILL BE 100000

Long
The long data type can store whole numbers from -9223372036854775808 to
9223372036854775807. This is used when int is not large enough to store the
value. Note that you should end the value with an "L":

Example
long myNum = 15000000000L;

System.out.println(myNum);

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
long myNum = 15000000000L;
System.out.println(myNum);
}
}
Floating Point Types
You should use a floating point type whenever you need a number with a
decimal, such as 9.99 or 3.14515.

Float
The float data type can store fractional numbers from 3.4e−038 to 3.4e+038.
Note that you should end the value with an "f":

Example
float myNum = 5.75f;

System.out.println(myNum);

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
float myNum = 5.75f;
System.out.println(myNum);
}
}

RESULT WILL BE 5.75

Double
The double data type can store fractional numbers from 1.7e−308 to 1.7e+308.
Note that you should end the value with a "d":

Example
double myNum = 19.99d;

System.out.println(myNum);
public class MyClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
double myNum = 19.99d;
System.out.println(myNum);
}
}

RESULT WILL BE 19.99

Use float or double?

The precision of a floating point value indicates how many digits the value can
have after the decimal point. The precision of float is only six or seven decimal
digits, while double variables have a precision of about 15 digits. Therefore it is
safer to use double for most calculations.

Booleans
A boolean data type is declared with the boolean keyword and can only take the
values true or false:

Example
boolean isJavaFun = true;

boolean isFishTasty = false;

System.out.println(isJavaFun); // Outputs true

System.out.println(isFishTasty); // Outputs false

Run example »

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
boolean isJavaFun = true;
boolean isFishTasty = false;
 System.out.println(isJavaFun);
System.out.println(isFishTasty);
}
}

OUTPUT

TRUE

FALSE

Characters
The char data type is used to store a single character. The character must be
surrounded by single quotes, like 'A' or 'c':

Example
char myGrade = 'B';

System.out.println(myGrade)

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
char myGrade = 'B';
System.out.println(myGrade);
}
}

ANSWER WILL BE B

Alternatively, you can use ASCII values to display certain characters:

Example
char a = 65, b = 66, c = 67;

System.out.println(a);
System.out.println(b);

System.out.println(c);

Strings
The String data type is used to store a sequence of characters (text). String
values must be surrounded by double quotes:

Example
String greeting = "Hello World";

System.out.println(greeting);

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
String greeting = "Hello World";
System.out.println(greeting);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE HELLO WORLD

Non-Primitive Data Types

Non-primitive data types are called reference types because they refer to
objects.

The main difference between primitive and non-primitive data types are:

• Primitive types are predefined (already defined) in Java. Non-primitive

types are created by the programmer and is not defined by Java (except
for String).
• Non-primitive types can be used to call methods to perform certain
operations, while primitive types cannot.
 • A primitive type has always a value, while non-primitive types can
be null.
• A primitive type starts with a lowercase letter, while non-primitive types
starts with an uppercase letter.
• The size of a primitive type depends on the data type, while non-primitive
types have all the same size.

Examples of non-primitive types are Strings, Arrays, Classes, Interface, etc.

Java Type Casting

Type casting is when you assign a value of one primitive data type to another
type.

In Java, there are two types of casting:

• Widening Casting (automatically) - converting a smaller type to a larger

type size
byte -> short -> char -> int -> long -> float -> double

• Narrowing Casting (manually) - converting a larger type to a smaller

size type
double -> float -> long -> int -> char -> short -> byte
Widening Casting
Widening casting is done automatically when passing a smaller size type to a
larger size type:

Example
public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

int myInt = 9;

double myDouble = myInt; // Automatic casting: int to double

System.out.println(myInt); // Outputs 9

System.out.println(myDouble); // Outputs 9.0

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int myInt = 9;
double myDouble = myInt; // Automatic casting: int to double

System.out.println(myInt);
System.out.println(myDouble);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE

9.0
Narrowing Casting
Narrowing casting must be done manually by placing the type in parentheses in
front of the value:

Example
public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

double myDouble = 9.78;

int myInt = (int) myDouble; // Manual casting: double to int

System.out.println(myDouble); // Outputs 9.78

System.out.println(myInt); // Outputs 9

Java Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.

In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two values:

Example
int x = 100 + 50;

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 100 + 50;
System.out.println(x);
}
}
OUTPUT WILL BE 150

Although the + operator is often used to add together two values, like in the
example above, it can also be used to add together a variable and a value, or a
variable and another variable:

Example
int sum1 = 100 + 50; // 150 (100 + 50)

int sum2 = sum1 + 250; // 400 (150 + 250)

int sum3 = sum2 + sum2; // 800 (400 + 400)

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int sum1 = 100 + 50;
int sum2 = sum1 + 250;
int sum3 = sum2 + sum2;
System.out.println(sum1);
System.out.println(sum2);
System.out.println(sum3);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE

150

400

800

Java divides the operators into the following groups:

 • Arithmetic operators
• Assignment operators
• Comparison operators
• Logical operators
• Bitwise operators

Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform common mathematical operations.

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 5;
int y = 3;
System.out.println(x + y);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE 8
public class MyClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 5;
int y = 3;
System.out.println(x - y);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE 2

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 5;
int y = 3;
System.out.println(x * y);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE 15

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 12;
int y = 3;
System.out.println(x / y);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE 4

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 5;
int y = 2;
System.out.println(x % y);
}
}
OUTPUT WILL BE 1

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 5;
++x;
System.out.println(x);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE 6

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {
int x = 5;
--x;
System.out.println(x);
}
}

OUTPUT WILL BE 4

Java Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.

In the example below, we use the assignment operator (=) to assign the
value 10 to a variable called x:

Example
int x = 10;