Google Java Style Guide

1 Introduction
This document serves as the complete definition of Google's coding standards for
source code in the Java Programming Language. A Java source file is described as
being in Google Style if and only if it adheres to the rules herein.

Like other programming style guides, the issues covered span not only aesthetic issues
of formatting, but other types of conventions or coding standards as well. However, this
document focuses primarily on the hard-and-fast rules that we follow universally, and
avoids giving advice that isn't clearly enforceable (whether by human or tool).

1.1 Terminology notes

In this document, unless otherwise clarified:

1. The term class is used inclusively to mean an "ordinary" class, enum class,
interface or annotation type ( @interface ).
2. The term member (of a class) is used inclusively to mean a nested class, field,
method, or constructor; that is, all top-level contents of a class except initializers
and comments.
3. The term comment always refers to implementation comments. We do not use
the phrase "documentation comments", and instead use the common term
"Javadoc."

Other "terminology notes" will appear occasionally throughout the document.

1.2 Guide notes

Example code in this document is non-normative. That is, while the examples are in
Google Style, they may not illustrate the only stylish way to represent the code. Optional
formatting choices made in examples should not be enforced as rules.

2 Source file basics

2.1 File name

The source file name consists of the case-sensitive name of the top-level class it
contains (of which there is exactly one), plus the .java extension.
contains (of which there is exactly one), plus the .java extension.

2.2 File encoding: UTF-8

Source files are encoded in UTF-8.

2.3 Special characters

2.3.1 Whitespace characters

Aside from the line terminator sequence, the ASCII horizontal space character
(0x20) is the only whitespace character that appears anywhere in a source file. This
implies that:

1. All other whitespace characters in string and character literals are escaped.
2. Tab characters are not used for indentation.

2.3.2 Special escape sequences

For any character that has a special escape sequence ( \b , \t , \n , \f , \r , \" , \'
and \\ ), that sequence is used rather than the corresponding octal (e.g. \012 ) or
Unicode (e.g. \u000a ) escape.

2.3.3 Non-ASCII characters

For the remaining non-ASCII characters, either the actual Unicode character (e.g. ∞ ) or
the equivalent Unicode escape (e.g. \u221e ) is used. The choice depends only on
which makes the code easier to read and understand, although Unicode escapes
outside string literals and comments are strongly discouraged.

Tip: In the Unicode escape case, and occasionally even when actual Unicode
characters are used, an explanatory comment can be very helpful.

Examples:

Example Discussion

String unitAbbrev = "μs"; Best: perfectly clear even

without a comment.

String unitAbbrev = "\u03bcs"; // "μs" Allowed, but there's no reason

to do this.

String unitAbbrev = "\u03bcs"; // Greek letter mu, "s" Allowed, but awkward and
prone to mistakes.

String unitAbbrev = "\u03bcs"; Poor: the reader has no idea

 what this is.

return '\ufeff' + content; // byte order mark Good: use escapes for non-
printable characters, and
comment if necessary.

Tip: Never make your code less readable simply out of fear that some programs
might not handle non-ASCII characters properly. If that should happen, those
programs are broken and they must be fixed.

3 Source file structure

A source file consists of, in order:

1. License or copyright information, if present

2. Package statement
3. Import statements
4. Exactly one top-level class

Exactly one blank line separates each section that is present.

3.1 License or copyright information, if present

If license or copyright information belongs in a file, it belongs here.

3.2 Package statement

The package statement is not line-wrapped. The column limit (Section 4.4, Column
limit: 100) does not apply to package statements.

3.3 Import statements

3.3.1 No wildcard imports

Wildcard imports, static or otherwise, are not used.

3.3.2 No line-wrapping

Import statements are not line-wrapped. The column limit (Section 4.4, Column limit:
100) does not apply to import statements.

3.3.3 Ordering and spacing

Imports are ordered as follows:

1. All static imports in a single block.

2. All non-static imports in a single block.

If there are both static and non-static imports, a single blank line separates the two
blocks. There are no other blank lines between import statements.

Within each block the imported names appear in ASCII sort order. (Note: this is not the
same as the import statements being in ASCII sort order, since '.' sorts before ';'.)

3.3.4 No static import for classes

Static import is not used for static nested classes. They are imported with normal
imports.

3.4 Class declaration

3.4.1 Exactly one top-level class declaration

Each top-level class resides in a source file of its own.

3.4.2 Ordering of class contents

The order you choose for the members and initializers of your class can have a great
effect on learnability. However, there's no single correct recipe for how to do it; different
classes may order their contents in different ways.

What is important is that each class uses some logical order, which its maintainer
could explain if asked. For example, new methods are not just habitually added to the
end of the class, as that would yield "chronological by date added" ordering, which is not
a logical ordering.

[Link] Overloads: never split

Methods of a class that share the same name appear in a single contiguous group with
no other members in between. The same applies to multiple constructors (which always
have the same name). This rule applies even when modifiers such as static or
private differ between the methods.

4 Formatting
Terminology Note: block-like construct refers to the body of a class, method or
constructor. Note that, by Section [Link] on array initializers, any array initializer may
optionally be treated as if it were a block-like construct.
optionally be treated as if it were a block-like construct.

4.1 Braces

4.1.1 Use of optional braces

Braces are used with if , else , for , do and while statements, even when the
body is empty or contains only a single statement.

Other optional braces, such as those in a lambda expression, remain optional.

4.1.2 Nonempty blocks: K & R style

Braces follow the Kernighan and Ritchie style ("Egyptian brackets") for nonempty blocks
and block-like constructs:

• No line break before the opening brace, except as detailed below.

• Line break after the opening brace.
• Line break before the closing brace.
• Line break after the closing brace, only if that brace terminates a statement or
terminates the body of a method, constructor, or named class. For example, there
is no line break after the brace if it is followed by else or a comma.

Exception: In places where these rules allow a single statement ending with a semicolon
( ; ), a block of statements can appear, and the opening brace of this block is preceded
by a line break. Blocks like these are typically introduced to limit the scope of local
variables, for example inside switch statements.

Examples:

return () -> {
while (condition()) {
method();
}
};

return new MyClass() {

@Override public void method() {
if (condition()) {
try {
something();
} catch (ProblemException e) {
recover();
}
} else if (otherCondition()) {
somethingElse();
} else {
 } else {
lastThing();
}
{
int x = foo();
frob(x);
}
}
};

A few exceptions for enum classes are given in Section 4.8.1, Enum classes.

4.1.3 Empty blocks: may be concise

An empty block or block-like construct may be in K & R style (as described in Section
4.1.2). Alternatively, it may be closed immediately after it is opened, with no characters
or line break in between ( {} ), unless it is part of a multi-block statement (one that
directly contains multiple blocks: if/else or try/catch/finally ).

Examples:

// This is acceptable
void doNothing() {}

// This is equally acceptable

void doNothingElse() {
}

// This is not acceptable: No concise empty blocks in a multi-block statement

try {
doSomething();
} catch (Exception e) {}

4.2 Block indentation: +2 spaces

Each time a new block or block-like construct is opened, the indent increases by two
spaces. When the block ends, the indent returns to the previous indent level. The indent
level applies to both code and comments throughout the block. (See the example in
Section 4.1.2, Nonempty blocks: K & R Style.)

4.3 One statement per line

Each statement is followed by a line break.

4.4 Column limit: 100

Java code has a column limit of 100 characters. A "character" means any Unicode code
point. Except as noted below, any line that would exceed this limit must be line-wrapped,
as explained in Section 4.5, Line-wrapping.

Each Unicode code point counts as one character, even if its display width is greater
or less. For example, if using fullwidth characters, you may choose to wrap the line
earlier than where this rule strictly requires.

Exceptions:

1. Lines where obeying the column limit is not possible (for example, a long URL in
Javadoc, or a long JSNI method reference).
2. package and import statements (see Sections 3.2 Package statement and 3.3
Import statements).
3. Command lines in a comment that may be copied-and-pasted into a shell.
4. Very long identifiers, on the rare occasions they are called for, are allowed to
exceed the column limit. In that case, the valid wrapping for the surrounding code
is as produced by google-java-format.

4.5 Line-wrapping

Terminology Note: When code that might otherwise legally occupy a single line is
divided into multiple lines, this activity is called line-wrapping.

There is no comprehensive, deterministic formula showing exactly how to line-wrap in

every situation. Very often there are several valid ways to line-wrap the same piece of
code.

Note: While the typical reason for line-wrapping is to avoid overflowing the column
limit, even code that would in fact fit within the column limit may be line-wrapped at
the author's discretion.

Tip: Extracting a method or local variable may solve the problem without the need to
line-wrap.

4.5.1 Where to break

The prime directive of line-wrapping is: prefer to break at a higher syntactic level.
Also:

1. When a line is broken at a non-assignment operator the break comes before the
symbol. (Note that this is not the same practice used in Google style for other
 languages, such as C++ and JavaScript.)

◦ This also applies to the following "operator-like" symbols:

◦ the dot separator ( . )
◦ the two colons of a method reference ( :: )
◦ an ampersand in a type bound ( <T extends Foo & Bar> )
◦ a pipe in a catch block ( catch (FooException | BarException e) ).
2. When a line is broken at an assignment operator the break typically comes after
the symbol, but either way is acceptable.
◦ This also applies to the "assignment-operator-like" colon in an enhanced for
("foreach") statement.
3. A method or constructor name stays attached to the open parenthesis ( ( ) that
follows it.
4. A comma ( , ) stays attached to the token that precedes it.
5. A line is never broken adjacent to the arrow in a lambda, except that a break may
come immediately after the arrow if the body of the lambda consists of a single
unbraced expression. Examples:

MyLambda<String, Long, Object> lambda =

(String label, Long value, Object obj) -> {
...
};

Predicate<String> predicate = str ->

longExpressionInvolving(str);

Note: The primary goal for line wrapping is to have clear code, not necessarily code
that fits in the smallest number of lines.

4.5.2 Indent continuation lines at least +4 spaces

When line-wrapping, each line after the first (each continuation line) is indented at least
+4 from the original line.

When there are multiple continuation lines, indentation may be varied beyond +4 as
desired. In general, two continuation lines use the same indentation level if and only if
they begin with syntactically parallel elements.

Section 4.6.3 on Horizontal alignment addresses the discouraged practice of using a

variable number of spaces to align certain tokens with previous lines.

4.6 Whitespace

4.6.1 Vertical Whitespace

A single blank line always appears:

1. Between consecutive members or initializers of a class: fields, constructors,

methods, nested classes, static initializers, and instance initializers.
◦ Exception: A blank line between two consecutive fields (having no other
code between them) is optional. Such blank lines are used as needed to
create logical groupings of fields.
◦ Exception: Blank lines between enum constants are covered in Section
4.8.1.
2. As required by other sections of this document (such as Section 3, Source file
structure, and Section 3.3, Import statements).

A single blank line may also appear anywhere it improves readability, for example
between statements to organize the code into logical subsections. A blank line before
the first member or initializer, or after the last member or initializer of the class, is
neither encouraged nor discouraged.

Multiple consecutive blank lines are permitted, but never required (or encouraged).

4.6.2 Horizontal whitespace

Beyond where required by the language or other style rules, and apart from literals,
comments and Javadoc, a single ASCII space also appears in the following places only.

1. Separating any reserved word, such as if , for or catch , from an open

parenthesis ( ( ) that follows it on that line
2. Separating any reserved word, such as else or catch , from a closing curly
brace ( } ) that precedes it on that line
3. Before any open curly brace ( { ), with two exceptions:
◦ @SomeAnnotation({a, b}) (no space is used)
◦ String[][] x = {{"foo"}}; (no space is required between {{ , by item 9
below)
4. On both sides of any binary or ternary operator. This also applies to the following
"operator-like" symbols:
◦ the ampersand in a conjunctive type bound: <T extends Foo & Bar>
◦ the pipe for a catch block that handles multiple exceptions:
catch (FooException | BarException e)
◦ the colon ( : ) in an enhanced for ("foreach") statement
◦ the arrow in a lambda expression: (String str) -> [Link]()
but not
◦ the two colons ( :: ) of a method reference, which is written like
Object::toString
◦ the dot separator ( . ), which is written like [Link]()
 5. After ,:; or the closing parenthesis ( ) ) of a cast

6. Between any content and a double slash ( // ) which begins a comment. Multiple
spaces are allowed.
7. Between a double slash ( // ) which begins a comment and the comment's text.
Multiple spaces are allowed.
8. Between the type and variable of a declaration: List<String> list
9. Optional just inside both braces of an array initializer
◦ new int[] {5, 6} and new int[] { 5, 6 } are both valid
10. Between a type annotation and [] or ... .

This rule is never interpreted as requiring or forbidding additional space at the start or
end of a line; it addresses only interior space.

4.6.3 Horizontal alignment: never required

Terminology Note: Horizontal alignment is the practice of adding a variable number of

additional spaces in your code with the goal of making certain tokens appear directly
below certain other tokens on previous lines.

This practice is permitted, but is never required by Google Style. It is not even required
to maintain horizontal alignment in places where it was already used.

Here is an example without alignment, then using alignment:

private int x; // this is fine

private Color color; // this too

private int x; // permitted, but future edits

private Color color; // may leave it unaligned

Tip: Alignment can aid readability, but it creates problems for future maintenance.
Consider a future change that needs to touch just one line. This change may leave
the formerly-pleasing formatting mangled, and that is allowed. More often it
prompts the coder (perhaps you) to adjust whitespace on nearby lines as well,
possibly triggering a cascading series of reformattings. That one-line change now
has a "blast radius." This can at worst result in pointless busywork, but at best it still
corrupts version history information, slows down reviewers and exacerbates merge
conflicts.

4.7 Grouping parentheses: recommended

Optional grouping parentheses are omitted only when author and reviewer agree that
there is no reasonable chance the code will be misinterpreted without them, nor would
they have made the code easier to read. It is not reasonable to assume that every reader
they have made the code easier to read. It is not reasonable to assume that every reader
has the entire Java operator precedence table memorized.

4.8 Specific constructs

4.8.1 Enum classes

After each comma that follows an enum constant, a line break is optional. Additional
blank lines (usually just one) are also allowed. This is one possibility:

private enum Answer {

YES {
@Override public String toString() {
return "yes";
}
},

NO,
MAYBE
}

An enum class with no methods and no documentation on its constants may optionally
be formatted as if it were an array initializer (see Section [Link] on array initializers).

private enum Suit { CLUBS, HEARTS, SPADES, DIAMONDS }

Since enum classes are classes, all other rules for formatting classes apply.

4.8.2 Variable declarations

[Link] One variable per declaration

Every variable declaration (field or local) declares only one variable: declarations such as
int a, b; are not used.

Exception: Multiple variable declarations are acceptable in the header of a for loop.

[Link] Declared when needed

Local variables are not habitually declared at the start of their containing block or block-
like construct. Instead, local variables are declared close to the point they are first used
(within reason), to minimize their scope. Local variable declarations typically have
initializers, or are initialized immediately after declaration.

4.8.3 Arrays

[Link] Array initializers: be "block-like"

[Link] Array initializers: can be "block-like"

Any array initializer may optionally be formatted as if it were a "block-like construct." For
example, the following are all valid (not an exhaustive list):

new int[] { new int[] {

0, 1, 2, 3 0,
} 1,
2,
new int[] { 3,
0, 1, }
2, 3
} new int[]
{0, 1, 2, 3}

[Link] No C-style array declarations

The square brackets form a part of the type, not the variable: String[] args , not
String args[] .

4.8.4 Switch statements

Terminology Note: Inside the braces of a switch block are one or more statement
groups. Each statement group consists of one or more switch labels (either case FOO:
or default: ), followed by one or more statements (or, for the last statement group, zero
or more statements).

[Link] Indentation

As with any other block, the contents of a switch block are indented +2.

After a switch label, there is a line break, and the indentation level is increased +2,
exactly as if a block were being opened. The following switch label returns to the
previous indentation level, as if a block had been closed.

[Link] Fall-through: commented

Within a switch block, each statement group either terminates abruptly (with a break ,
continue , return or thrown exception), or is marked with a comment to indicate that
execution will or might continue into the next statement group. Any comment that
communicates the idea of fall-through is sufficient (typically // fall through ). This
special comment is not required in the last statement group of the switch block.
Example:

switch (input) {
case 1:
case 2:
 prepareOneOrTwo();

// fall through
case 3:
handleOneTwoOrThree();
break;
default:
handleLargeNumber(input);
}

Notice that no comment is needed after case 1: , only at the end of the statement
group.

[Link] Presence of the default label

Each switch statement includes a default statement group, even if it contains no code.

Exception: A switch statement for an enum type may omit the default statement
group, if it includes explicit cases covering all possible values of that type. This enables
IDEs or other static analysis tools to issue a warning if any cases were missed.

4.8.5 Annotations

[Link] Type-use annotations

Type-use annotations appear immediately before the annotated type. An annotation is a

type-use annotation if it is meta-annotated with @Target(ElementType.TYPE_USE) .
Example:

final @Nullable String name;

public @Nullable Person getPersonByName(String name);

[Link] Class annotations

Annotations applying to a class appear immediately after the documentation block, and
each annotation is listed on a line of its own (that is, one annotation per line). These line
breaks do not constitute line-wrapping (Section 4.5, Line-wrapping), so the indentation
level is not increased. Example:

@Deprecated
@CheckReturnValue
public final class Frozzler { ... }

[Link] Method and constructor annotations

The rules for annotations method and constructor declarations the the
The rules for annotations on method and constructor declarations are the same as the

previous section. Example:

@Deprecated
@Override
public String getNameIfPresent() { ... }

Exception: A single parameterless annotation may instead appear together with the
first line of the signature, for example:

@Override public int hashCode() { ... }

[Link] Field annotations

Annotations applying to a field also appear immediately after the documentation block,
but in this case, multiple annotations (possibly parameterized) may be listed on the
same line; for example:

@Partial @Mock DataLoader loader;

[Link] Parameter and local variable annotations

There are no specific rules for formatting annotations on parameters or local variables
(except, of course, when the annotation is a type-use annotation).

4.8.6 Comments

This section addresses implementation comments. Javadoc is addressed separately in

Section 7, Javadoc.

Any line break may be preceded by arbitrary whitespace followed by an implementation

comment. Such a comment renders the line non-blank.

[Link] Block comment style

Block comments are indented at the same level as the surrounding code. They may be in
/* ... */ style or // ... style. For multi-line /* ... */ comments, subsequent lines must
start with * aligned with the * on the previous line.

/*
* This is // And so /* Or you can
* okay. // is this. * even do this. */
*/

Comments not enclosed in boxes drawn with asterisks other characters.

Comments are not enclosed in boxes drawn with asterisks or other characters.

Tip: When writing multi-line comments, use the /* ... */ style if you want automatic
code formatters to re-wrap the lines when necessary (paragraph-style). Most
formatters don't re-wrap lines in // ... style comment blocks.

4.8.7 Modifiers

Class and member modifiers, when present, appear in the order recommended by the
Java Language Specification:

public protected private abstract default static final transient volatile synchronized native

4.8.8 Numeric Literals

long -valued integer literals use an uppercase L suffix, never lowercase (to avoid
confusion with the digit 1 ). For example, 3000000000L rather than 3000000000l .

5 Naming

5.1 Rules common to all identifiers

Identifiers use only ASCII letters and digits, and, in a small number of cases noted below,
underscores. Thus each valid identifier name is matched by the regular expression
\w+ .

In Google Style, special prefixes or suffixes are not used. For example, these names are
not Google Style: name_ , mName , s_name and kName .

5.2 Rules by identifier type

5.2.1 Package names

Package names use only lowercase letters and digits (no underscores). Consecutive
words are simply concatenated together. For example, [Link] , not
[Link] or [Link].deep_space .

5.2.2 Class names

Class names are written in UpperCamelCase.

Class names are typically nouns or noun phrases. For example, Character or
ImmutableList . Interface names may also be nouns or noun phrases (for example,
 List ), but may sometimes be adjectives or adjective phrases instead (for example,

Readable ).

There are no specific rules or even well-established conventions for naming annotation
types.

A test class has a name that ends with Test , for example, HashIntegrationTest . If it
covers a single class, its name is the name of that class plus Test , for example
HashImplTest .

5.2.3 Method names

Method names are written in lowerCamelCase.

Method names are typically verbs or verb phrases. For example, sendMessage or
stop .

Underscores may appear in JUnit test method names to separate logical components of
the name, with each component written in lowerCamelCase, for example
transferMoney_deductsFromSource . There is no One Correct Way to name test
methods.

5.2.4 Constant names

Constant names use UPPER_SNAKE_CASE : all uppercase letters, with each word
separated from the next by a single underscore. But what is a constant, exactly?

Constants are static final fields whose contents are deeply immutable and whose
methods have no detectable side effects. Examples include primitives, strings,
immutable value classes, and anything set to null . If any of the instance's observable
state can change, it is not a constant. Merely intending to never mutate the object is not
enough. Examples:

// Constants
static final int NUMBER = 5;
static final ImmutableList<String> NAMES = [Link]("Ed", "Ann");
static final Map<String, Integer> AGES = [Link]("Ed", 35, "Ann", 32);
static final Joiner COMMA_JOINER = [Link](','); // because Joiner is immutable
static final SomeMutableType[] EMPTY_ARRAY = {};

// Not constants
static String nonFinal = "non-final";
final String nonStatic = "non-static";
static final Set<String> mutableCollection = new HashSet<String>();
static final ImmutableSet<SomeMutableType> mutableElements = [Link](mutable);
static final ImmutableMap<String, SomeMutableType> mutableValues =
 static final ImmutableMap<String, SomeMutableType> mutableValues
[Link]("Ed", mutableInstance, "Ann", mutableInstance2);

static final Logger logger = [Link]([Link]());

static final String[] nonEmptyArray = {"these", "can", "change"};

These names are typically nouns or noun phrases.

5.2.5 Non-constant field names

Non-constant field names (static or otherwise) are written in lowerCamelCase.

These names are typically nouns or noun phrases. For example, computedValues or
index .

5.2.6 Parameter names

Parameter names are written in lowerCamelCase.

One-character parameter names in public methods should be avoided.

5.2.7 Local variable names

Local variable names are written in lowerCamelCase.

Even when final and immutable, local variables are not considered to be constants, and
should not be styled as constants.

5.2.8 Type variable names

Each type variable is named in one of two styles:

• A single capital letter, optionally followed by a single numeral (such as E , T ,

X , T2 )
• A name in the form used for classes (see Section 5.2.2, Class names), followed by
the capital letter T (examples: RequestT , FooBarT ).

5.3 Camel case: defined

Sometimes there is more than one reasonable way to convert an English phrase into
camel case, such as when acronyms or unusual constructs like "IPv6" or "iOS" are
present. To improve predictability, Google Style specifies the following (nearly)
deterministic scheme.

Beginning with the prose form of the name:

1. Convert the phrase to plain ASCII and remove any apostrophes. For example,
 "Müller's algorithm" might become "Muellers algorithm".

2. Divide this result into words, splitting on spaces and any remaining punctuation
(typically hyphens).
◦ Recommended: if any word already has a conventional camel-case
appearance in common usage, split this into its constituent parts (e.g.,
"AdWords" becomes "ad words"). Note that a word such as "iOS" is not really
in camel case per se; it defies any convention, so this recommendation does
not apply.
3. Now lowercase everything (including acronyms), then uppercase only the first
character of:
◦ ... each word, to yield upper camel case, or
◦ ... each word except the first, to yield lower camel case
4. Finally, join all the words into a single identifier.

Note that the casing of the original words is almost entirely disregarded. Examples:

Prose form Correct Incorrect

"XML HTTP request" XmlHttpRequest XMLHTTPRequest

"new customer ID" newCustomerId newCustomerID

"inner stopwatch" innerStopwatch innerStopWatch

"supports IPv6 on iOS?" supportsIpv6OnIos supportsIPv6OnIOS

"YouTube importer" YouTubeImporter

YoutubeImporter *

*Acceptable, but not recommended.

Note: Some words are ambiguously hyphenated in the English language: for
example "nonempty" and "non-empty" are both correct, so the method names
checkNonempty and checkNonEmpty are likewise both correct.

6 Programming Practices

6.1 @Override : always used

A method is marked with the @Override annotation whenever it is legal. This includes
a class method overriding a superclass method, a class method implementing an
interface method, and an interface method respecifying a superinterface method.

Exception: @Override may be omitted when the parent method is @Deprecated .

6.2 Caught exceptions: not ignored

Except as noted below, it is very rarely correct to do nothing in response to a caught

exception. (Typical responses are to log it, or if it is considered "impossible", rethrow it as
an AssertionError .)

When it truly is appropriate to take no action whatsoever in a catch block, the reason this
is justified is explained in a comment.

try {
int i = [Link](response);
return handleNumericResponse(i);
} catch (NumberFormatException ok) {
// it's not numeric; that's fine, just continue
}
return handleTextResponse(response);

Exception: In tests, a caught exception may be ignored without comment if its name is
or begins with expected . The following is a very common idiom for ensuring that the
code under test does throw an exception of the expected type, so a comment is
unnecessary here.

try {
[Link]();
fail();
} catch (NoSuchElementException expected) {
}

6.3 Static members: qualified using class

When a reference to a static class member must be qualified, it is qualified with that
class's name, not with a reference or expression of that class's type.

Foo aFoo = ...;

[Link](); // good
[Link](); // bad
somethingThatYieldsAFoo().aStaticMethod(); // very bad

6.4 Finalizers: not used

It is extremely rare to override [Link] .

 Tip: Don't do it. If you absolutely must, first read and understand Effective Java Item
8, "Avoid finalizers and cleaners" very carefully, and then don't do it.

7 Javadoc

7.1 Formatting

7.1.1 General form

The basic formatting of Javadoc blocks is as seen in this example:

/**
* Multiple lines of Javadoc text are written here,
* wrapped normally...
*/
public int method(String p1) { ... }

... or in this single-line example:

/** An especially short bit of Javadoc. */

The basic form is always acceptable. The single-line form may be substituted when the
entirety of the Javadoc block (including comment markers) can fit on a single line. Note
that this only applies when there are no block tags such as @return .

7.1.2 Paragraphs

One blank line—that is, a line containing only the aligned leading asterisk ( * )—appears
between paragraphs, and before the group of block tags if present. Each paragraph
except the first has <p> immediately before the first word, with no space after it.
HTML tags for other block-level elements, such as <ul> or <table> , are not
preceded with <p> .

7.1.3 Block tags

Any of the standard "block tags" that are used appear in the order @param , @return ,
@throws , @deprecated , and these four types never appear with an empty
description. When a block tag doesn't fit on a single line, continuation lines are indented
four (or more) spaces from the position of the @ .

7.2 The summary fragment

7.2 The summary fragment

Each Javadoc block begins with a brief summary fragment. This fragment is very
important: it is the only part of the text that appears in certain contexts such as class
and method indexes.

This is a fragment—a noun phrase or verb phrase, not a complete sentence. It does not
begin with A {@code Foo} is a... , or This method returns... , nor does it form a
complete imperative sentence like Save the record. . However, the fragment is
capitalized and punctuated as if it were a complete sentence.

Tip: A common mistake is to write simple Javadoc in the form

/** @return the customer ID */ . This is incorrect, and should be changed to
/** Returns the customer ID. */ .

7.3 Where Javadoc is used

At the minimum, Javadoc is present for every public class, and every public or
protected member of such a class, with a few exceptions noted below.

Additional Javadoc content may also be present, as explained in Section 7.3.4, Non-
required Javadoc.

7.3.1 Exception: self-explanatory members

Javadoc is optional for "simple, obvious" members like getFoo() , in cases where there
really and truly is nothing else worthwhile to say but "Returns the foo".

Important: it is not appropriate to cite this exception to justify omitting relevant

information that a typical reader might need to know. For example, for a method
named getCanonicalName , don't omit its documentation (with the rationale that it
would say only /** Returns the canonical name. */ ) if a typical reader may have no
idea what the term "canonical name" means!

7.3.2 Exception: overrides

Javadoc is not always present on a method that overrides a supertype method.

7.3.4 Non-required Javadoc

Other classes and members have Javadoc as needed or desired.

Whenever an implementation comment would be used to define the overall purpose or

behavior of a class or member, that comment is written as Javadoc instead (using /** ).
Non-required Javadoc is not strictly required to follow the formatting rules of Sections
7.1.1, 7.1.2, 7.1.3, and 7.2, though it is of course recommended.