Java Programming 24-Hour Trainer, 2nd Edition

Lesson 5Java Syntax: Bits and Pieces

This tutorial didn’t start with detailed coverage of basic constructs of the Java language such as the syntax of if statements, loops, and the like. You started learning Java programming with getting used to object-oriented terms and constructs of the language. This lesson is a grab bag of basic language elements, terms, and data structures. You also find out how to debug Java programs in Eclipse IDE and how to pass parameters to a program started from a command line.

Arrays

An array is data storage that’s used to store multiple values of the same type. Let’s say your program has to store names of 20 different girls, such as Masha, Matilda, Rosa, and so on. Instead of declaring 20 different String variables, you can declare one String array with the capacity to store 20 elements:

String []  friends = new String [20]; // Declare and instantiate array
friends[0] = "Masha";                 //Initialize the first element
friends[1] = "Matilda";               //Initialize the second element
friends[2] = "Rosa";
// Keep initializing other elements of the array here
friends[19] = "Natasha";               //Initialize the last element

The first element of an array in Java always has an index of 0. Arrays in Java are zero-based. While declaring an array you can place brackets either after the data type or after the variable name. Both of the following declarations are correct:

String friends[];
String[] friends;

You must know the  size of the array before assigning values to its elements. ...