Java Tutorial

Java From Scratch Java Introduction

Java Install
Java Syntax
Java Output / Print
Java Comments
Java Variables
Java Data Types
Java Type Casting
Java Operators
Java Strings
Java Math
Java Booleans
Java If ... Else
Java Switch
Java While Loop
Java For Loop
Java Break
Java Continue
Java Arrays
What is Java?
It is used for:
Java is a popular programming language,
• Mobile applications (specially Android apps)
created in 1995.
• Desktop applications
It is owned by Oracle, and more than 3 • Web applications
billion devices run Java. • 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 has a large demand in the current job market
• 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

Java Getting Started

Java Install
Some PCs might have Java already installed.
To check if you have Java installed on a Windows PC, search in the start bar for Java or type the
following in Command Prompt ([Link]):

C:\Users\Your Name>java -version

If Java is installed, you will see something like this (depending on version):
java version "11.0.1" 2018-10-16 LTS
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 18.9 (build 11.0.1+13-LTS)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM 18.9 (build 11.0.1+13-LTS, mixed mode)

If you do not have Java installed on your computer, you can download it for free at [Link].

Note: In this tutorial, we will write Java code in a text editor. However, it is possible to write Java in
an Integrated Development Environment, such as IntelliJ IDEA, Netbeans or Eclipse, which are
particularly useful when managing larger collections of Java files.
1
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 3. Then, select the "Path" variable in System
the "Advanced" tab variables and click on the "Edit" button

4. Click on the "New" button and add the path where 5. At last, open Command Prompt ([Link])
Java is installed, followed by \bin. By default, Java and type java -version to see if Java is
is installed in C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-11.0.1 running on your machine
(If nothing else was specified when you installed it).
Write the following in the command line ([Link]):
In that case, You will have to add a new path
C:\Users\Your Name>java -version
with: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-11.0.1\bin
Then, click "OK", and save the settings If Java was successfully installed, you will see
something like this (depending on version):
java version "11.0.1" 2018-10-16 LTS
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 18.9 (build
11.0.1+13-LTS)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM 18.9
(build 11.0.1+13-LTS, mixed mode)

2
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 [Link], 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:
[Link]
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
[Link]("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 "[Link]". Open Command Prompt ([Link]), navigate to the directory
where you saved your file, and type "javac [Link]":
C:\Users\Your Name>javac [Link]

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 Main" to run the file:
C:\Users\Your Name>java Main

The output should read:

Hello World

Congratulations! You have written and executed your first Java program.

Java Syntax
In the previous chapter, we created a Java file called [Link], and we used the following code to
print "Hello World" to the screen:

[Link] Example explained

Every line of code that runs in Java must be inside a class. In our example, we named the class Main. 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:

Hello World

3
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. Don't worry about 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.

[Link]()

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) {

[Link]("Hello World");
}

Note: The curly braces {} marks the beginning and the end of a block of code.

System is a built-in Java class that contains useful members, such as out, which is short for "output".
The println() method, short for "print line", is used to print a value to the screen (or a file).

Don't worry too much about System, out and println(). Just know that you need them together to
print stuff to the screen.

You should also note that each code statement must end with a semicolon (;).

Exercise:
Insert the missing part of the code below to output "Hello World".

public class MyClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

. . ("Hello World");

4
 Java Output / Print
Print Text
You learned from the previous chapter that you can use the println() method to output values or print
text in Java:
Example
[Link]("Hello World!");

You can add as many println() methods Example

as you want. Note that it will add a new [Link]("Hello World!");
line for each method: [Link]("I am learning Java.");
[Link]("It is awesome!");

Double Quotes
When you are working with text, it must be wrapped inside double quotations marks "".
If you forget the double quotes, an error occurs:
Example
[Link]("This sentence will work!");
[Link](This sentence will produce an error);

The Print() Method

There is also a print() method, which is similar to println().
The only difference is that it does not insert a new line at the end of the output:
Example
[Link]("Hello World! ");
[Link]("I will print on the same line.");

Note that we add an extra space (after "Hello World!" in the example above), for better readability.
In this tutorial, we will only use println() as it makes it easier to read the output of code.

Java Output Numbers

Print Numbers
You can also use the println() method to print Example
numbers. [Link](3);
However, unlike text, we don't put numbers inside [Link](358);
double quotes: [Link](50000);

You can also perform mathematical calculations inside

the println() method:

Example Example

[Link](3 + 3); [Link](2 * 5);

 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
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
[Link]("Hello World");

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

Example
[Link]("Hello World"); // This is a comment

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 */
[Link]("Hello World");

Single or multi-line comments?

It is up to you which you want to use. Normally, we use // for short comments, and /* */ for longer.

Exercise:

Insert the missing part to create two types of comments.

This is a single-line comment

This is a multi-line comment
 Java 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 variableName = value;
Where type is one of Java's types (such as int or String), and variableName 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, To create a variable that should store a number,
look at the following example: look at the following

Example Example
Create a variable called name of Create a variable called myNum of
type String and assign it the value "John": type int and assign it the value 15
int myNum = 15;
String name = "John"; [Link](myNum);
[Link](name);

You can also declare a variable without assigning the value, and assign the value later:
Example
int myNum;
myNum = 15;
[Link](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
[Link](myNum);
Final Variables
If you don't want others (or yourself) to overwrite existing values, use the final keyword (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";

Exercise:
Create a variable named carName and assign the value Volvo to it.
= ;

Java Print Variables

Display Variables
The println() method is often used to display variables.
To combine both text and a variable, use You can also use the + character to add a variable
the + character: to another variable:
Example Example
String name = "John"; String firstName = "John ";
[Link]("Hello " + name); String lastName = "Doe";
String fullName = firstName + lastName;
[Link](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;
[Link](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
 Java Declare Multiple Variables
Declare Many Variables
To declare more than one variable of the same type, you can use a comma-separated list:
Example
Instead of writing: You can simply write:
int x = 5;
int y = 6; int x = 5, y = 6, z = 50;
int z = 50; [Link](x + y + z);
[Link](x + y + z);

One Value to Multiple Variables

You can also assign the same value to multiple variables in one line:
Example
int x, y, z;
x = y = z = 50;
[Link](x + y + z);
Exercise:
Fill in the missing parts to create three variables of the same type, using a comma-separated list:
x = 5 y = 6 z = 50;

Java Identifiers
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;

The general rules for naming variables 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:

Data Type Size Description

byte 1 byte Stores whole numbers from -128 to 127

short 2 bytes Stores whole numbers from -32,768 to 32,767

int 4 bytes Stores whole numbers from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647

long 8 bytes Stores whole numbers from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to

9,223,372,036,854,775,807

float 4 bytes Stores fractional numbers. Sufficient for storing 6 to 7 decimal digits

double 8 bytes Stores fractional numbers. Sufficient for storing 15 decimal digits

boolean 1 bit Stores true or false values

char 2 bytes Stores a single character/letter or ASCII values

Exercise:
Add the correct data type for the following variables:

myNum = 9;
myFloatNum = 8.99f;
myLetter = 'A';
myBool = false;
myText = "Hello World";
 Java Numbers
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 Short Int Long

Byte Short
The byte data type can store whole numbers from The short data type can store whole numbers
-128 to 127. This can be used instead of int or from -32768 to 32767:
other integer types to save memory when you are
Example
certain that the value will be within -128 and 127:
Example short myNum = 5000;
byte myNum = 100; [Link](myNum);
[Link](myNum);

Int Long
The int data type can store whole numbers from The long data type can store whole numbers
-2147483648 to 2147483647. In general, and in from -9223372036854775808 to
our tutorial, the int data type is the preferred data 9223372036854775807.
type when we create variables with a numeric This is used when int is not large enough to
value. store the value. Note that you should end the
value with an "L":
Example
int myNum = 100000;
Example
[Link](myNum); long myNum = 15000000000L;
[Link](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.

The float and double data types can store fractional numbers. Note that you should end the value with
an "f" for floats and "d" for doubles:

Float Example Double Example

float myNum = 5.75f; double myNum = 19.99d;
[Link](myNum); [Link](myNum);

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.

Scientific Numbers
A floating point number can also be a scientific number with an "e" to indicate the power of 10:
Example
float f1 = 35e3f;
double d1 = 12E4d;
[Link](f1);
[Link](d1);

Java Boolean Data Types

Boolean Types
Very often in programming, you will need a data type that can only have one of two values, like:
• YES / NO
• ON / OFF
• TRUE / FALSE

For this, Java has a boolean data type, which can only take the values true or false:
Example
boolean isJavaFun = true;
boolean isFishTasty = false;
[Link](isJavaFun); // Outputs true
[Link](isFishTasty); // Outputs false

Boolean values are mostly used for conditional testing.

You will learn much more about booleans and conditions later in this tutorial.
 Java Characters
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';
[Link](myGrade);

Alternatively, if you are familiar with ASCII values, you can use those to display certain characters:
Example
char myVar1 = 65, myVar2 = 66, myVar3 = 67;
[Link](myVar1);
[Link](myVar2);
[Link](myVar3);

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";
[Link](greeting);
The String type is so much used and integrated in Java, that some call it "the special ninth type".
A String in Java is actually a non-primitive data type, because it refers to an object. The String object
has methods that are used to perform certain operations on strings. Don't worry if you don't
understand the term "object" just yet.

Java Non-Primitive Data Types

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

[Link](myInt); // Outputs 9
[Link](myDouble); // Outputs 9.0
}
}

Narrowing Casting
Narrowing casting must be done manually by placing the type in parentheses in front of the value:
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
double myDouble = 9.78d;
int myInt = (int) myDouble; // Manual casting: double to int

[Link](myDouble); // Outputs 9.78

[Link](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;

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)

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.

Operator Name Description Example

+ Addition Adds together two values x+y

- Subtraction Subtracts one value from another x-y

* Multiplication Multiplies two values x*y

/ Division Divides one value by another x/y

% Modulus Returns the division remainder x%y

++ Increment Increases the value of a variable by 1 ++x

-- Decrement Decreases the value of a variable by 1 --x

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;

The addition assignment operator (+=) adds a value to a variable:

Example
int x = 10;
x += 5;

A list of all assignment operators:

Operator Example Same As

= x=5 x=5

+= x += 3 x=x+3

-= x -= 3 x=x-3

*= x *= 3 x=x*3

/= x /= 3 x=x/3

%= x %= 3 x=x%3

&= x &= 3 x=x&3

|= x |= 3 x=x|3

^= x ^= 3 x=x^3

>>= x >>= 3 x = x >> 3

<<= x <<= 3 x = x << 3

Java Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare two values (or variables). This is important in
programming, because it helps us to find answers and make decisions.

The return value of a comparison is either true or false. These values are known as Boolean values, and
you will learn more about them in the Booleans and If..Else chapter.

In the following example, we use the greater than operator (>) to find out if 5 is greater than 3:
Example
int x = 5;
int y = 3;
[Link](x > y); // returns true, because 5 is higher than 3

Operator Name Example

== Equal to x == y

!= Not equal x != y

> Greater than x>y

< Less than x<y

>= Greater than or equal to x >= y

<= Less than or equal to x <= y

Java Logical Operators

You can also test for true or false values with logical operators.
Logical operators are used to determine the logic between variables or values:

Operator Name Description Example

&& Logical and Returns true if both statements are true x < 5 && x < 10

|| Logical or Returns true if one of the statements is true x < 5 || x < 4

! Logical not Reverse the result, returns false if the result is true !(x < 5 && x < 10)

Exercise:
Multiply 10 with 5, and print the result.

[Link](10 5);
 Java Strings
Strings are used for storing text.
A String variable contains a collection of characters surrounded by double quotes:
Example
Create a variable of type String and assign it a value:
String greeting = "Hello";

String Length
A String in Java is actually an object, which contain methods that can perform certain operations on
strings. For example, the length of a string can be found with the length() method:
Example
String txt = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
[Link]("The length of the txt string is: " + [Link]());

More String Methods

There are many string methods available, for example toUpperCase() and toLowerCase():
Example
String txt = "Hello World";
[Link]([Link]()); // Outputs "HELLO WORLD"
[Link]([Link]()); // Outputs "hello world"

Finding a Character in a String

The indexOf() method returns the index (the position) of the first occurrence of a specified text in a
string (including whitespace):
Example
String txt = "Please locate where 'locate' occurs!";
[Link]([Link]("locate")); // Outputs 7

Java counts positions from zero.

0 is the first position in a string, 1 is the second, 2 is the third ...

Exercise:

Fill in the missing part to create a greeting variable of type String and assign it the value Hello.

greeting = ;
 Java String Concatenation
String Concatenation
The + operator can be used between strings to combine them. This is called concatenation:
Example
String firstName = "John";
String lastName = "Doe";
[Link](firstName + " " + lastName);

Note that we have added an empty text (" ") to create a space between firstName and lastName on print.

You can also use the concat() method to concatenate two strings:
Example
String firstName = "John ";
String lastName = "Doe";
[Link]([Link](lastName));

Java Numbers and Strings

Adding Numbers and Strings
WARNING!
Java uses the + operator for both addition and concatenation.
Numbers are added. Strings are concatenated.

If you add two numbers, the result will be a number:

Example
int x = 10;
int y = 20;
int z = x + y; // z will be 30 (an integer/number)

If you add two strings, the result will be a string concatenation:

Example
String x = "10";
String y = "20";
String z = x + y; // z will be 1020 (a String)

If you add a number and a string, the result will be a string concatenation:
Example
String x = "10";
int y = 20;
String z = x + y; // z will be 1020 (a String)
 Java Special Characters
Strings - Special Characters
Because strings must be written within quotes, Java will misunderstand this string, and generate an
error:

String txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings" from the north.";

The solution to avoid this problem, is to use the backslash escape character.
The backslash (\) escape character turns special characters into string characters:

Escape character Result Description

\' ' Single quote

\" " Double quote

\\ \ Backslash

The sequence \" inserts a double quote in a string:

Example
String txt = "We are the so-called \"Vikings\" from the north.";

The sequence \' inserts a single quote in a string:

Example
String txt = "It\'s alright.";

The sequence \\ inserts a single backslash in a string:

Example
String txt = "The character \\ is called backslash.";

Other common escape sequences that are valid in Java are:

Code Result
\n New Line

\r Carriage Return

\t Tab

\b Backspace

\f Form Feed
 Java Math
The Java Math class has many methods that allows you to perform mathematical tasks on numbers.

[Link](x,y) [Link](x,y)
The [Link](x,y) method can be used to find The [Link](x,y) method can be used to find the

the highest value of x and y: lowest value of x and y:

Example Example
[Link](5, 10); [Link](5, 10);

[Link](x) [Link](x)
The [Link](x) method returns the square The [Link](x) method returns the absolute
root of x: (positive) value of x:

Example Example
[Link](64); [Link](-4.7);

Random Numbers
[Link]() returns a random number between 0.0 (inclusive), and 1.0 (exclusive):
Example
[Link]();

To get more control over the random number, for example, if you only want a random number between
0 and 100, you can use the following formula:

Example
int randomNum = (int)([Link]() * 101); // 0 to 100

Exercise:

Use the correct method to find the highest value of x and y.

int x = 5;
int y = 10;
Math. (x, y);
 Java Booleans
Very often, in programming, you will need a data type that can only have one of two values, like:
• YES / NO
• ON / OFF
• TRUE / FALSE
For this, Java has a boolean data type, which can store true or false values.

Boolean Values
A boolean type is declared with the boolean keyword and can only take the values true or false:
Example
boolean isJavaFun = true;
boolean isFishTasty = false;
[Link](isJavaFun); // Outputs true
[Link](isFishTasty); // Outputs false

However, it is more common to return boolean values from boolean expressions, for conditional
testing (see below).

Boolean Expression
A Boolean expression returns a boolean value: true or false.
This is useful to build logic, and find answers.
For example, you can use a comparison operator, such as the greater than (>) operator, to find out if
an expression (or a variable) is true or false:
Example
int x = 10;
int y = 9;
[Link](x > y); // returns true, because 10 is higher than 9

Or even easier:
Example
[Link](10 > 9); // returns true, because 10 is higher than 9

In the examples below, we use the equal to (==) operator to evaluate an expression:
Example
int x = 10;
[Link](x == 10); // returns true, because the value of x is equal to 10
Example
[Link](10 == 15); // returns false, because 10 is not equal to 15
Real Life Example

Let's think of a "real life example" where we need to find out if a person is old enough to vote.

In the example below, we use the >= comparison operator to find out if the age (25) is greater
than OR equal to the voting age limit, which is set to 18:
Example
int myAge = 25;
int votingAge = 18;
[Link](myAge >= votingAge);

Cool, right? An even better approach (since we are on a roll now), would be to wrap the code above in
an if...else statement, so we can perform different actions depending on the result:

Example
Output "Old enough to vote!" if myAge is greater than or equal to 18. Otherwise output "Not old
enough to vote.":

int myAge = 25;

int votingAge = 18;

if (myAge >= votingAge) {

[Link]("Old enough to vote!");
} else {
[Link]("Not old enough to vote.");
}

Booleans are the basis for all Java comparisons and conditions.

Exercise:

Fill in the missing parts to print the values true and false:

isJavaFun = true;

isFishTasty = false;
[Link](isJavaFun);
[Link](isFishTasty);
 Java If ... Else
Java Conditions and If Statements
You already know that Java supports the usual logical conditions from mathematics:
• Less than: a < b
• Less than or equal to: a <= b
• Greater than: a > b
• Greater than or equal to: a >= b
• Equal to a == b
• Not Equal to: a != b

You can use these conditions to perform different actions for different decisions.
Java has the following conditional statements:
• Use if to specify a block of code to be executed, if a specified condition is true
• Use else to specify a block of code to be executed, if the same condition is false
• Use else if to specify a new condition to test, if the first condition is false
• Use switch to specify many alternative blocks of code to be executed

The if Statement
Use the if statement to specify a block of Java code to be executed if a condition is true.
Syntax
if (condition) {
// block of code to be executed if the condition is true
}

Note that if is in lowercase letters. Uppercase letters (If or IF) will generate an error.
In the example below, we test two values to find out if 20 is greater than 18. If the condition is true,
print some text:
Example
if (20 > 18) {
[Link]("20 is greater than 18");
}
We can also test variables:
Example
int x = 20;
int y = 18;
if (x > y) {
[Link]("x is greater than y");
}

Example explained
In the example above we use two variables, x and y, to test whether x is greater than y (using
the > operator). As x is 20, and y is 18, and we know that 20 is greater than 18, we print to the screen
that "x is greater than y".
The else Statement
Use the else statement to specify a block of code to be executed if the condition is false.
Syntax
if (condition) {
// block of code to be executed if the condition is true
} else {
// block of code to be executed if the condition is false
}
Example
int time = 20;
Example explained
if (time < 18) {
[Link]("Good day.");
In the example, time (20) is greater than 18, so the
} else { condition is false. Because of this, we move on to
[Link]("Good evening."); the else condition and print to the screen "Good
} evening". If the time was less than 18, the program
// Outputs "Good evening." would print "Good day".

The else if Statement

Use the else if statement to specify a new condition if the first condition is false.
Syntax
if (condition1) {
// block of code to be executed if condition1 is true
} else if (condition2) {
// block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and condition2 is true
} else {
// block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and condition2 is false
}
Example Example explained
int time = 22;
In the example above, time (22) is greater than 10, so
if (time < 10) {
the first condition is false. The next condition, in
[Link]("Good morning.");
the else if statement, is also false, so we move on to
} else if (time < 18) {
the else condition since condition1 and condition2 is
[Link]("Good day."); both false - and print to the screen "Good evening".
} else {
[Link]("Good evening."); However, if the time was 14, our program would print
}
"Good day."
// Outputs "Good evening."
Exercise:
Print "Hello World" if x is greater than y.
int x = 50;
int y = 10;
(x y) {
[Link]("Hello World");
}
 Java Short Hand If...Else (Ternary Operator)
Short Hand If...Else

There is also a short-hand if else, which is known as the ternary operator because it consists of three
operands.

It can be used to replace multiple lines of code with a single line, and is most often used to replace
simple if else statements:

Syntax
variable = (condition) ? expressionTrue : expressionFalse;

Instead of writing:
Example
int time = 20;
if (time < 18) {
[Link]("Good day.");
} else {
[Link]("Good evening.");
}

You can simply write:

Example
int time = 20;
String result = (time < 18) ? "Good day." : "Good evening.";
[Link](result);

Exercise:

Insert the missing parts to complete the following "short hand if...else" statement:

int time = 20;

String result = time < 18 "Good day." "Good

evening.";
[Link](result);
 Java Switch
Java Switch Statements
Instead of writing many if..else statements, you can use the switch statement.
The switch statement selects one of many code blocks to be executed:
Syntax
switch(expression) {
case x:
// code block
break;
case y:
// code block
break;
default:
// code block
}

This is how it works:

• The switch expression is evaluated once.
• The value of the expression is compared with the values of each case.
• If there is a match, the associated block of code is executed.
• The break and default keywords are optional, and will be described later in this chapter
The example below uses the weekday number to calculate the weekday name:
Example
int day = 4;
switch (day) {
case 1:
[Link]("Monday");
break;
case 2:
[Link]("Tuesday");
break;
case 3:
[Link]("Wednesday");
break;
case 4:
[Link]("Thursday");
break;
case 5:
[Link]("Friday");
break;
case 6:
[Link]("Saturday");
break;
case 7:
[Link]("Sunday");
break;
}
// Outputs "Thursday" (day 4)
The break Keyword

When Java reaches a break keyword, it breaks out of the switch block.

This will stop the execution of more code and case testing inside the block.

When a match is found, and the job is done, it's time for a break. There is no need for more testing.

A break can save a lot of execution time because it "ignores" the execution of all the rest of the code in
the switch block.

The default Keyword

The default keyword specifies some code to run if there is no case match:
Example
int day = 4;
switch (day) {
case 6:
[Link]("Today is Saturday");
break;
case 7:
[Link]("Today is Sunday");
break;
default:
[Link]("Looking forward to the Weekend");
}
// Outputs "Looking forward to the Weekend"

Note that if the default statement is used as the last statement in a switch block, it does not need a break.

Exercise:

Insert the missing parts to complete the following switch statement.

int day = 2;
switch ( ) {
1:
[Link]("Saturday");
break;
2:
[Link]("Sunday");
;
}
 Java While Loop
Loops
Loops can execute a block of code as long as a specified condition is reached.
Loops are handy because they save time, reduce errors, and they make code more readable.
Java While Loop
The while loop loops through a block of code as long as a specified condition is true:
Syntax
while (condition) {
// code block to be executed
}
In the example below, the code in the loop will run, over and over again, as long as a variable (i) is less than 5:
Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
[Link](i);
i++;
}

Note: Do not forget to increase the variable used in the condition, otherwise the loop will never end!
The Do/While Loop
The do/while loop is a variant of the while loop. This loop will execute the code block once, before
checking if the condition is true, then it will repeat the loop as long as the condition is true.
Syntax
do {
// code block to be executed
}
while (condition);
The example below uses a do/while loop. The loop will always be executed at least once, even if the
condition is false, because the code block is executed before the condition is tested:
Example
int i = 0;
do {
[Link](i);
i++;
}
while (i < 5);
Do not forget to increase the variable used in the condition, otherwise the loop will never end!
Exercise:
Print i as long as i is less than 6.
int i = 1;
(i < 6) {
[Link](i);
;
}
 Java For Loop
When you know exactly how many times you want to loop through a block of code, use the for loop
instead of a while loop:
Syntax
for (statement 1; statement 2; statement 3) {
// code block to be executed
}

Statement 1 is executed (one time) before the execution of the code block.
Statement 2 defines the condition for executing the code block.
Statement 3 is executed (every time) after the code block has been executed.
The example below will print the numbers 0 to 4:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
[Link](i);
}

Example explained
Statement 1 sets a variable before the loop starts (int i = 0).
Statement 2 defines the condition for the loop to run (i must be less than 5). If the condition is true,
the loop will start over again, if it is false, the loop will end.
Statement 3 increases a value (i++) each time the code block in the loop has been executed.
Another Example
This example will only print even values between 0 and 10:
Example
for (int i = 0; i <= 10; i = i + 2) {
[Link](i);
}

Nested Loops
It is also possible to place a loop inside another loop. This is called a nested loop.
The "inner loop" will be executed one time for each iteration of the "outer loop":
Example
// Outer loop
for (int i = 1; i <= 2; i++) {
[Link]("Outer: " + i); // Executes 2 times

// Inner loop
for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
[Link](" Inner: " + j); // Executes 6 times (2 * 3)
}
}
 Java For Each Loop
For-Each Loop

There is also a "for-each" loop, which is used exclusively to loop through elements in an array:

Syntax
for (type variableName : arrayName) {
// code block to be executed
}

The following example outputs all elements in the cars array, using a "for-each" loop:

Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (String i : cars) {
[Link](i);
}

Exercise:

Use a for loop to print "Yes" 5 times.

(int i = 0; i < 5; ) {
[Link]( );
}
 Java Break and Continue
Java Break
You have already seen the break statement used in an earlier chapter of this tutorial. It was used to
"jump out" of a switch statement.
The break statement can also be used to jump out of a loop.
This example stops the loop when i is equal to 4:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 4) {
break;
}
[Link](i);
}
Java Continue
The continue statement breaks one iteration (in the loop), if a specified condition occurs, and continues
with the next iteration in the loop.
This example skips the value of 4:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 4) {
continue;
}
[Link](i);
}

Break and Continue in While Loop

You can also use break and continue in while loops:
Break Example Continue Example
int i = 0; int i = 0;
while (i < 10) { while (i < 10) {
[Link](i); if (i == 4) {
i++; i++;
if (i == 4) { continue;
break; }
} [Link](i);
} i++;
}
Exercise:
Stop the loop if i is 5.
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 5) {
;
}
[Link](i);
}
 Java Arrays
Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable, instead of declaring separate variables for
each value.
To declare an array, define the variable type with square brackets:
String[] cars;

We have now declared a variable that holds an array of strings. To insert values to it, you can place the
values in a comma-separated list, inside curly braces:
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

To create an array of integers, you could write:

int[] myNum = {10, 20, 30, 40};

Access the Elements of an Array

You can access an array element by referring to the index number.
This statement accesses the value of the first element in cars:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
[Link](cars[0]);
// Outputs Volvo

Note: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is the second element, etc.

Change an Array Element

To change the value of a specific element, refer to the index number:
Example
cars[0] = "Opel";

Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
cars[0] = "Opel";
[Link](cars[0]);
// Now outputs Opel instead of Volvo

Array Length
To find out how many elements an array has, use the length property:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
[Link]([Link]);
// Outputs 4

Exercise:
Create an array of type String called cars.

= {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford"};

 Loop Through an Array
You can loop through the array elements with the for loop, and use the length property to specify how
many times the loop should run.
The following example outputs all elements in the cars array:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (int i = 0; i < [Link]; i++) {
[Link](cars[i]);
}

Loop Through an Array with For-Each

There is also a "for-each" loop, which is used exclusively to loop through elements in arrays:
Syntax
for (type variable : arrayname) {
...
}

The following example outputs all elements in the cars array, using a "for-each" loop:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (String i : cars) {
[Link](i);
}

The example above can be read like this: for each String element (called i - as in index) in cars, print
out the value of i.

If you compare the for loop and for-each loop, you will see that the for-each method is easier to write,
it does not require a counter (using the length property), and it is more readable.

Exercise:
Loop through the items in the cars array.

String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford"};

(String i : ) {
[Link](i);
}
 Java Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Multidimensional Arrays
A multidimensional array is an array of arrays.
Multidimensional arrays are useful when you want to store data as a tabular form, like a table with
rows and columns.
To create a two-dimensional array, add each array within its own set of curly braces:
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
myNumbers is now an array with two arrays as its elements.
Access Elements
To access the elements of the myNumbers array, specify two indexes: one for the array, and one for
the element inside that array. This example accesses the third element (2) in the second array (1) of
myNumbers:
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
[Link](myNumbers[1][2]); // Outputs 7
Remember that: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is the second element, etc.

Change Element Values

You can also change the value of an element:
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
myNumbers[1][2] = 9;
[Link](myNumbers[1][2]); // Outputs 9 instead of 7

Loop Through a Multi-Dimensional Array

We can also use a for loop inside another for loop to get the elements of a two-dimensional array (we
still have to point to the two indexes):
Example
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
for (int i = 0; i < [Link]; ++i) {
for(int j = 0; j < myNumbers[i].length; ++j) {
[Link](myNumbers[i][j]);
}
}
}
}

Exercise:
Insert the missing part to create a two-dimensional array.

myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };