☕
A First Taste of Java
Type 📒 Lecture
Date @January 3, 2022
Lecture # 1
Lecture URL https://youtu.be/ULpvhw2hmSg
Notion URL https://21f1003586.notion.site/A-First-Taste-of-Java-c8303394228e4344969df9d13f8c4bd0
Week # 2
Getting Started
In Python
print('hello, world')
In C ...
#include <stdio.h>
main() {
printf("hello, world\n");
}
And then there is Java ...
public class helloworld {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("hello, world");
}
}
Why so complicated?
public class helloworld {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("hello, world");
}
}
A First Taste of Java 1
All code in Java lies within a class
No free floating functions, unlike Python and other languages
Modifier public specifies visibility
How does the program start?
Fix a function name that will be called by default
From C, the convention is to call this function main()
Need to specify input and output types for main()
The signature of main()
Input parameters is an array of strings
Command line arguments
No output, hence the main function has the return type void
Visibility
Function has to be available to run from outside the class
Modifier public
Availability
Functions defined inside classes are attached to the objects
How can we create an object before starting?
Modifier static — function that exists independent of dynamic creation of objects, belongs to the class
The actual operation
System is a public class
out is a stream object defined in System
Like a file handle
Note that out must also be static
println() is a method associated with streams
Prints argument with a newline, like Python print()
Adds a newline character \n at the end of the statement
Punctuation { , } , ; to delimit the blocks, statements
Unlike layout and indentation in Python
Compiling and running Java code
A Java program is a collection of classes
Each class is defined in a separate file with the same name, with extension java
Class helloworld in helloworld.java
Java programs are usually interpreted on Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
JVM provides a uniform execution environment across OSes
Semantics of Java is defined in terms of JVM, OS-independent
It came with a slogan “Write once, run anywhere”
javac compiles into JVM bytecode
javac helloworld.java creates bytecode file helloworld.class
java helloworld interprets and runs bytecode in helloworld.class
Note:
javac requires file extension .java
java should not be provided file extension .class
A First Taste of Java 2
javac automatically follows dependencies and compiles all the classes required
Sufficient to trigger compilation for class containing main()
Summary
The syntax of Java is comparatively heavy
Many modifiers — unavoidable overhead of object-oriented design
Visibility: public and private
Availability: all functions live inside objects, need to allow static definitions
Will see more modifiers as we go along
Functions and variable types have to be declared in advance
Java compiles into code for a virtual machine
JVM ensures uniform semantics across operating systems
Code is guaranteed to be portable
A First Taste of Java 3
☕
Basic Datatypes in Java
Type 📒 Lecture
Date @January 3, 2022
Lecture # 2
Lecture URL https://youtu.be/IwTdVsLxz04
Notion URL https://21f1003586.notion.site/Basic-Datatypes-in-Java-3cfdcb7953c14d4890ccc104b8264b26
Week # 2
Scalar Types
In an object-oriented langauge, all data should be encapsulated as objects
However, this is cumbersome
Useful to manipulate numeric values like conventional languages
Java has 8 primitive datatypes
int, long, short, byte
float, double
char
boolean
Size of each type is fixed by JVM
Does not depend on native architecture
Basic Datatypes in Java 1
2-byte char for Unicode
Declarations, assigning values
We declare variables before we use them
int x, y;
float y;
char c;
boolean b1;
The assignment statement works as usual
int x, y;
x = 5;
y = 7;
Characters are written with single-quotes (only)
Double quotes mark string
char c, d;
c = ‘x’;
d = ‘\u03C0’; // Greek pi, unicode
Boolean constants are true, false
boolean b1, b2;
b1 = false;
b2 = true;
Initialization, constants
Declarations can come anywhere
int x;
x = 10;
float y;
Use this judiciously to retain readability
Initialize at the time of declaration
int x = 10;
float y = 5.7;
Modifier final marks as constant
final float pi = 3.1415927f;
pi = 22/7; // Flagged as error
Operators, shortcuts, type casting
Arithmetic operators are the usual ones
+, -, *, /, %
No separate integer division operator //
Basic Datatypes in Java 2
When both arguments are integer, / is integer division
float f = 22/7; // Value is 3.0
Note implicit conversion from int to float
No exponentiation operator, use Math.pow()
Math.pow(a, n) returns an
Special operators for incrementin and decrementing integers
int a = 0, b = 10;
a++; // Same as a = a + 1
b—; // Same as b = b - 1
Shortcut for updating a variable
int a = 0, b = 10;
a += 7; // Same as a = a + 7
b *= 12; // Same as b = b * 12
Strings
String is a built in class
String s, t;
String constants enclosed in double quotes
String s = "Hello", t = "world";
+ is overloaded for string concatenation
String s = "Hello";
String t = "world";
String u = s + " " + t; // "Hello world"
String are not arrays of characters
We cannot write the following
s[3] = 'p';
s[4] = '!';
Instead, invoke method substring in class String
s = s.substring(0, 3) + "p!";
If we change a String , we get a new object
Strings are immutable
After the update, s points to a new String
Java does automatic garbage collection
Arrays
Arrays are also objects
Typical declaration
int[] a;
a = new int[100];
or
int[] a = new int[100];
a.length gives the size of a
Note, for String , it is a method s.length()
Array indices run from 0 to a.length - 1
Size of the array can vary
Array constants: {v1, v2, v3}
For example
int[] a;
int n;
n = 10;
Basic Datatypes in Java 3
a = new int[n];
n = 20;
a = new int[n];
a = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11};
Summary
Java allows scalar types, which are not objects
int, long, short, byte, float, double, char, boolean
Declarations can include initializations
Strings and arrays are objects
Basic Datatypes in Java 4
☕
Control Flow in Java
Type 📒 Lecture
Date @January 3, 2022
Lecture # 3
Lecture URL https://youtu.be/0RHDEourhdo
Notion URL https://21f1003586.notion.site/Control-Flow-in-Java-3a68f0e8e0fb49a9babfea919410dc68
Week # 2
Control flow
Program layout
Statements end with semi-colon ;
Blocks of statements delimited by braces
Conditional execution
if (condition) { ... } else { ... }
Conditional Loop
while (condition) { ... }
do { ... } while (condition);
Iteration
Two kinds of for
Multiway branching — switch
Conditional Execution
if (c) { ... } else { ... }
else is optional
Condition must be in parentheses
If body is a single statement, braces are not needed
No elif , unlike python
Indentation is not forced
Control Flow in Java 1
Just align else if
Nested if is a single statement, no separate braces required
No surprises
Aside: No def for function definition
public class MyClass {
...
public static int sign(int v) {
if (v < 0)
return(-1);
else if (v > 0)
return(1);
else
return(0);
}
}
Conditional Loops
while (c) { ... }
Condition must be in parentheses
If body is a single statement, braces are not needed
public class MyClass {
...
public static int sumupto(int n) {
int sum = 0;
while (n > 0) {
sum += n;
n--;
}
return(sum);
}
}
do { ... } while (c);
Condition is checked at the end of the loop
At one iteration, even if the condition is false
Useful for interactive user-input
do {
read input;
} while (input-condition);
public class MyClass {
...
public static int sumupto(int n) {
int sum = 0;
int i = 0;
do {
sum += i;
i++;
} while (i <= n);
return(sum);
}
}
Iteration
for loop is inherited from C language
for (init; cond; upd) { ... }
init is initialization
cond is terminating condition
upd is loop update
Control Flow in Java 2
Intended use is
for (i = 0; i < n; ++i) { ... }
Completely equivalent to
i = 0;
while (i < n) {
i++;
}
However, not a good style to write for instead of while
Can define loop variable within loop
The scope of i is local to the loop
An instance of more general local scoping allowed in Java
Sample code
public class MyClass {
...
public static int sumarray(int[] a) {
int sum = 0;
int n = a.length;
int i;
for(i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
sum += a[i];
}
return(sum);
}
}
Iterating over elements directly
Java later introduced a for in the style of Python
for x in l:
do something with x
Again for , different syntax
for (type x : a) {
do something with x;
}
It appears that loop variable must be declared in local scope for this version of for
Sample code
public class MyClass {
...
public static int sumarray(int[] a) {
int sum = 0;
int n = a.length;
for(int v : a) {
sum += v;
}
return(sum);
}
}
Multiway branching
switch selects between different options
The default behaviour of switch is to "fall through" from one case to the next
Need to explicitly break out of switch
Control Flow in Java 3
break available for loops as well
Options have to be constants
Cannot use conditional expressions
Aside: here return type is void
Non-void return type requires an appropriate return value
Sample code
public static void printsign(int v) {
switch(v) {
case -1: {
System.out.println("Negative");
break;
}
case 1: {
System.out.println("Positive");
break;
}
case 0: {
System.out.println("Zero");
break;
}
}
}
Summary
Program layout: semi-colons, braces
Conditional execution: if, else
Conditional loops: while, do-while
Iteration: two kinds of for
Local declaration of loop variable
Multiway branching: switch
break to avoid falling through
Control Flow in Java 4
☕
Defining Classes and Objects in Java
Type 📒 Lecture
Date @January 3, 2022
Lecture # 4
Lecture
https://youtu.be/XB-PcJJpKXg
URL
Notion https://21f1003586.notion.site/Defining-Classes-and-Objects-in-Java-
URL 5064c2d02789467897f97abe6e60c846
Week # 2
Defining a class
Definition block using class , with class name
Modifier public to indicate visibility
Java allows public to be omitted
Default visibility is public to package
Packages are administrative units of code
All classes defined in the same directory form part of the same package
Instance variable
Each concrete object of type Date will have local copies of date, month, year
These are marked private
Can also have public instance variable, but breaks encapsulation
public class Date {
private int day, month, year;
...
}
Creating Object
Declare type using class name
new creates a new object
Defining Classes and Objects in Java 1
How do we set the instance variables?
We can add methods to update values
this is a a reference to current object
public class Date {
private int day, month, year;
public void setDate(int d, int m, int y) {
this.day = d;
this.month = m;
this.year = y;
}
}
public void useDate() {
Date d;
d = new Date();
...
}
We can omit this if reference is unambiguous
What if we want to check the values?
Methods to read and report values
Accessor and Mutator methods
public class Date {
...
public int getDay() {
return(day);
}
public int getMonth() {
return(month);
}
public int getYear() {
return(year);
}
}
Initializing objects
Would be good to set up an object when we create it
Combine new Date() and setDate()
Constructors — special functions called when an object is created
Function with the same name as the class
d = new Date(13, 8, 2015);
Constructors with different signatures
d = new Date(13, 8); sets year to 2021
Java allows function overloading — same name, different signatures
Python: default (optional) arguments, no overloading
public class Date {
private int day, month, year;
public Date(int d, int m, int y) {
day = d;
month = m;
year = y;
}
public Date(int d, int m) {
day = d;
month = m;
year = 2021;
}
}
Defining Classes and Objects in Java 2
Constructors ...
A later constructor can call an earlier one using this keyword
If no constructor is defined, Java provides a default constructor with empty arguments
new Date() would implicitly invoke this
Sets instance variables to sensible defaults
For instance, int variables set to 0
Only valid if no constructor is defined
Otherwise, we need an explicit constructor without arguments
public class Date {
private int day, month, year;
public Date(int d, int m, int y) {
day = d;
month = m;
year = y;
}
public Date(int d, int m) {
this(d, m, 2021);
}
}
Copy constructors
Create a new object from an existing one
Copy constructor takes an object of the same type as an argument
Copies the instance variables
Use object name to disambiguate which instance variables we are talking about
Note that private instance variables of argument are visible
Shallow copy vs Deep copy
Want new object to be disjoint from the old one
If instance variable are objects, we may end up aliasing rather than copying
public class Date {
private int day, month, year;
public Date(Date d) {
this.day = d.day;
this.month = d.month;
this.year = d.year;
}
public void useDate() {
Date d1, d2;
d1 = new Date(12, 4, 1954);
d2 = new Date(d1);
}
}
Summary
A class defines a type
Typically, instance variables are private, available through accessor and mutator methods
We declare variables using the class name as type
Use new to create an object
Constructor is called implicitly to set up an object
Multiple constructors — overloading
Re-use — one constructor can call another
Defining Classes and Objects in Java 3
Default constructor — if none is defined
Copy constructor — make a copy of an existing object
Defining Classes and Objects in Java 4
☕
Basic Input and Output in Java
Type 📒 Lecture
Date @January 3, 2022
Lecture # 5
Lecture URL https://youtu.be/zvtvQcUhFxo
Notion URL https://21f1003586.notion.site/Basic-Input-and-Output-in-Java-9629c4bcf2de4676bf073f0997d4f87d
Week # 2
Interacting with a Java program
We have seen how to print data
System.out.println(”Hello, world”);
But how do we read data?
Reading input
Simplest to use is the Console class
Functionality quite similar to Python input()
Defined within System
Two methods, readLine and readPassword
readPassword does not echo characters on the screen
readLine returns a string (like Python input() )
readPassword returns an array of char
Console cons = System.console();
String username = cons.readLine("Username: ");
char[] password = cons.readPassword("Password: ");
A more general Scanner class
Allows more granular reading of the input
Read a full line, or read an integer ...
Basic Input and Output in Java 1
Scanner in = new Scanner(System.in);
String name = in.nextLine();
int age = in.nextInt();
Generating Output
System.out.println(arg) prints arg and goes to a new line
Implicitly converts argument to a string
System.out.print(arg) is similar, but does not advance to a new line
System.out.printf(arg) generates formatted output
Same conventions as printf in C language
Basic Input and Output in Java 2
