Module 3: More About Syntax


Objectives

 

By the end of this module, for simple HelloWorld-like programs, you will be able to:

 


Comments

 

One can insert comments into code that do not affect the code itself:

 

In-Class Exercise 1: What is the compilation error for the above program? Fix the error, add your own multi-line and single-line comments and compile again.
 


Strings

 

About strings:

  • A string in general computer science terminology is a sequence of letters or symbols.

  • A string in Java is any sequence of letters or symbols enclosed by a matching pair of double-quotes.

  • Examples of strings:
            "Hello World!"
    
            "'sup?"
    
            "@#%&* [Expletive deleted]"
         

  • Thus far, we have only used strings for printing:

  • Later, of course, we will see many other uses.

  • A string cannot be typed over multiple lines.

  • This is a mistake:

 

In-Class Exercise 2: What is the compilation error for the above program? Fix the error.
 


Escape sequences

 

The fact that strings begin and end with double quotes begs the question: how does one print out a double-quote?

  • To solve this problem, Java uses a trick:
           => A special code is used for a double-quote.

  • But this begs the question: how do you print a backslash?

    Answer: a double-backslash prints as a single one.

    The above program prints out two backslashes, separated by a space.

  • Java has a number of (esoteric) escape sequences.
           => There's no need to know them all.

  • The important ones:
    • \" for a double-quote.
    • \\; for a backslash.
    • \n; for a new line.
 

In-Class Exercise 3: Write a program called MyInitials.java that will print out both your initials side by side in large size, as in (e.g., RS):

   \\\\\    """""
   \   \    "
   \\\\\    """""
   \ \          "
   \  \     """""
 


print and println

 

You've been wondering why something that prints is called println instead of print.
 

In-Class Exercise 4: What does this program print to the screen?

Compare the output to the standard HelloWorld program very carefully.
 

In-Class Exercise 5: Without using println, get the above program to print exactly like the standard HelloWorld.
 

About print:

  • Thus, println is essentially a print followed by the escape sequence for a newline.

  • Later, when we learn for-loops, we will see a use for print.
 


Identifiers

 

There are three kinds of "words" in Java:

  1. The first kind are the core language words, called reserved words such as class and void:

    • Reserved words are used to define program structure and control.
    • Reserved words may only be used in the ways they are meant for.

    In-Class Exercise 6: Look up the list of reserved words in Java - either in your book or on the internet. How many are there?

  2. Words that we make up for our programs, such as: HelloWorld:

    • These are words we can change.
             => Recall: we've changed the name of the class before.
    • It may come as a surprise that argv is something we could re-name.
             => We will understand this when we learn about method parameters.

  3. The third kind are words chosen by other programmers, especially those who designed code in the Java library, such as:

    • We have no choice in using these words.
             => We can't change them.
 

About identifiers:

  • The latter two kinds of words are called identifiers.

  • There are some restrictions on creating identifiers:
    • They must start with a letter.
    • They must use only letters, numbers, or the underscore _ symbol.

  • There are also some stylistic guidelines in choosing identifiers. We'll talk about these later.
 

Let us next explore errors made with these words.
 

In-Class Exercise 7: For each of the programs below: (1) Try to identify the problem (if any) just by reading. (2) Then, use the edit-compile-test process to see what the error is (if any).

Program 1:

Program 2:

Program 3:

Program 4:

Program 5:

 


Good writing habits

 

First, let's point out how NOT to do it:

  • Write programs without full concentration.

  • Write carelessly, thinking that repeated compilation will find your syntax errors anyway.

  • Write by looking at existing code, letter by letter.

  • Write in sequence from the first letter to the last.
 

Good writing habits:

  • Write and type carefully, at a slow enough pace to avoid common mistyping errors.
           => The cost of mistyping is high: detecting errors.

  • When you type a left bracket, especially of a class or method, immediately type in the right bracket as well.

    Then, after that, move the cursor in between and type what needs to be in between.

  • If you are typing something similar to some existing program, try not to do this letter by letter, but instead line by line.
           => It will improve your reading ability.

  • Get the indentation correct right away, as opposed to fixing indentation later.
           => This will help you detect errors as you type.

  • When you type in an identifier, pause momentarily to make sure it's correct, and what was intended to be there.
 

For example, with HelloWorld:

  • First type in the class:

  • Then the method outline:

  • And then the method code.

  • Generally, if the brackets are going to be separated by multiple lines, type both and then move the cursor backwards.



© 2011, Rahul Simha