Related
To be specific, I was trying this code:
package hello;
public class Hello {
Clock clock = new Clock();
public static void main(String args[]) {
clock.sayTime();
}
}
But it gave the error
Cannot access non-static field in static method main
So I changed the declaration of clock to this:
static Clock clock = new Clock();
And it worked. What does it mean to put that keyword before the declaration? What exactly will it do and/or restrict in terms of what can be done to that object?
static members belong to the class instead of a specific instance.
It means that only one instance of a static field exists[1] even if you create a million instances of the class or you don't create any. It will be shared by all instances.
Since static methods also do not belong to a specific instance, they can't refer to instance members. In the example given, main does not know which instance of the Hello class (and therefore which instance of the Clock class) it should refer to. static members can only refer to static members. Instance members can, of course access static members.
Side note: Of course, static members can access instance members through an object reference.
Example:
public class Example {
private static boolean staticField;
private boolean instanceField;
public static void main(String[] args) {
// a static method can access static fields
staticField = true;
// a static method can access instance fields through an object reference
Example instance = new Example();
instance.instanceField = true;
}
[1]: Depending on the runtime characteristics, it can be one per ClassLoader or AppDomain or thread, but that is beside the point.
It means that there is only one instance of "clock" in Hello, not one per each separate instance of the "Hello" class, or more-so, it means that there will be one commonly shared "clock" reference among all instances of the "Hello" class.
So if you were to do a "new Hello" anywhere in your code:
A- in the first scenario (before the change, without using "static"), it would make a new clock every time a "new Hello" is called, but
B- in the second scenario (after the change, using "static"), every "new Hello" instance would still share and use the initial and same "clock" reference first created.
Unless you needed "clock" somewhere outside of main, this would work just as well:
package hello;
public class Hello
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
Clock clock=new Clock();
clock.sayTime();
}
}
The static keyword means that something (a field, method or nested class) is related to the type rather than any particular instance of the type. So for example, one calls Math.sin(...) without any instance of the Math class, and indeed you can't create an instance of the Math class.
For more information, see the relevant bit of Oracle's Java Tutorial.
Sidenote
Java unfortunately allows you to access static members as if they were instance members, e.g.
// Bad code!
Thread.currentThread().sleep(5000);
someOtherThread.sleep(5000);
That makes it look as if sleep is an instance method, but it's actually a static method - it always makes the current thread sleep. It's better practice to make this clear in the calling code:
// Clearer
Thread.sleep(5000);
The static keyword in Java means that the variable or function is shared between all instances of that class as it belongs to the type, not the actual objects themselves.
So if you have a variable: private static int i = 0; and you increment it (i++) in one instance, the change will be reflected in all instances. i will now be 1 in all instances.
Static methods can be used without instantiating an object.
Basic usage of static members...
public class Hello
{
// value / method
public static String staticValue;
public String nonStaticValue;
}
class A
{
Hello hello = new Hello();
hello.staticValue = "abc";
hello.nonStaticValue = "xyz";
}
class B
{
Hello hello2 = new Hello(); // here staticValue = "abc"
hello2.staticValue; // will have value of "abc"
hello2.nonStaticValue; // will have value of null
}
That's how you can have values shared in all class members without sending class instance Hello to other class. And whit static you don't need to create class instance.
Hello hello = new Hello();
hello.staticValue = "abc";
You can just call static values or methods by class name:
Hello.staticValue = "abc";
Static means that you don't have to create an instance of the class to use the methods or variables associated with the class. In your example, you could call:
Hello.main(new String[]()) //main(...) is declared as a static function in the Hello class
directly, instead of:
Hello h = new Hello();
h.main(new String[]()); //main(...) is a non-static function linked with the "h" variable
From inside a static method (which belongs to a class) you cannot access any members which are not static, since their values depend on your instantiation of the class. A non-static Clock object, which is an instance member, would have a different value/reference for each instance of your Hello class, and therefore you could not access it from the static portion of the class.
Static in Java:
Static is a Non Access Modifier.
The static keyword belongs to the class than instance of the class.
can be used to attach a Variable or Method to a Class.
Static keyword CAN be used with:
Method
Variable
Class nested within another Class
Initialization Block
CAN'T be used with:
Class (Not Nested)
Constructor
Interfaces
Method Local Inner Class(Difference then nested class)
Inner Class methods
Instance Variables
Local Variables
Example:
Imagine the following example which has an instance variable named count which in incremented in the constructor:
package pkg;
class StaticExample {
int count = 0;// will get memory when instance is created
StaticExample() {
count++;
System.out.println(count);
}
public static void main(String args[]) {
StaticExample c1 = new StaticExample();
StaticExample c2 = new StaticExample();
StaticExample c3 = new StaticExample();
}
}
Output:
1 1 1
Since instance variable gets the memory at the time of object creation, each object will have the copy of the instance variable, if it is incremented, it won't reflect to other objects.
Now if we change the instance variable count to a static one then the program will produce different output:
package pkg;
class StaticExample {
static int count = 0;// will get memory when instance is created
StaticExample() {
count++;
System.out.println(count);
}
public static void main(String args[]) {
StaticExample c1 = new StaticExample();
StaticExample c2 = new StaticExample();
StaticExample c3 = new StaticExample();
}
}
Output:
1 2 3
In this case static variable will get the memory only once, if any object changes the value of the static variable, it will retain its value.
Static with Final:
The global variable which is declared as final and static remains unchanged for the whole execution. Because, Static members are stored in the class memory and they are loaded only once in the whole execution. They are common to all objects of the class. If you declare static variables as final, any of the objects can’t change their value as it is final. Therefore, variables declared as final and static are sometimes referred to as Constants. All fields of interfaces are referred as constants, because they are final and static by default.
Picture Resource : Final Static
To add to existing answers, let me try with a picture:
An interest rate of 2% is applied to ALL savings accounts. Hence it is static.
A balance should be individual, so it is not static.
This discussion has so far ignored classloader considerations. Strictly speaking, Java static fields are shared between all instances of a class for a given classloader.
A field can be assigned to either the class or an instance of a class. By default fields are instance variables. By using static the field becomes a class variable, thus there is one and only one clock. If you make a changes in one place, it's visible everywhere. Instance varables are changed independently of one another.
In Java, the static keyword can be simply regarded as indicating the following:
"without regard or relationship to any particular instance"
If you think of static in this way, it becomes easier to understand its use in the various contexts in which it is encountered:
A static field is a field that belongs to the class rather than to any particular instance
A static method is a method that has no notion of this; it is defined on the class and doesn't know about any particular instance of that class unless a reference is passed to it
A static member class is a nested class without any notion or knowledge of an instance of its enclosing class (unless a reference to an enclosing class instance is passed to it)
The keyword static is used to denote a field or a method as belonging to the class itself and not to any particular instance. Using your code, if the object Clock is static, all of the instances of the Hello class will share this Clock data member (field) in common. If you make it non-static, each individual instance of Hello will have a unique Clock.
You added a main method to your class Hello so that you could run the code. The problem with that is that the main method is static and as such, it cannot refer to non-static fields or methods inside of it. You can resolve this in two ways:
Make all fields and methods of the Hello class static so that they could be referred to inside the main method. This is not a good thing to do (or the wrong reason to make a field and/or a method static)
Create an instance of your Hello class inside the main method and access all its fields and methods the way they were intended to be accessed and used in the first place.
For you, this means the following change to your code:
package hello;
public class Hello {
private Clock clock = new Clock();
public Clock getClock() {
return clock;
}
public static void main(String args[]) {
Hello hello = new Hello();
hello.getClock().sayTime();
}
}
static methods don't use any instance variables of the class they are defined in. A very good explanation of the difference can be found on this page
I have developed a liking for static methods (only, if possible) in "helper" classes.
The calling class need not create another member (instance) variable of the helper class. You just call the methods of the helper class. Also the helper class is improved because you no longer need a constructor, and you need no member (instance) variables.
There are probably other advantages.
Static makes the clock member a class member instead of an instance member. Without the static keyword you would need to create an instance of the Hello class (which has a clock member variable) - e.g.
Hello hello = new Hello();
hello.clock.sayTime();
//Here is an example
public class StaticClass
{
static int version;
public void printVersion() {
System.out.println(version);
}
}
public class MainClass
{
public static void main(String args[]) {
StaticClass staticVar1 = new StaticClass();
staticVar1.version = 10;
staticVar1.printVersion() // Output 10
StaticClass staticVar2 = new StaticClass();
staticVar2.printVersion() // Output 10
staticVar2.version = 20;
staticVar2.printVersion() // Output 20
staticVar1.printVersion() // Output 20
}
}
Can also think of static members not having a "this" pointer. They are shared among all instances.
Understanding Static concepts
public class StaticPractise1 {
public static void main(String[] args) {
StaticPractise2 staticPractise2 = new StaticPractise2();
staticPractise2.printUddhav(); //true
StaticPractise2.printUddhav(); /* false, because printUddhav() is although inside StaticPractise2, but it is where exactly depends on PC program counter on runtime. */
StaticPractise2.printUddhavsStatic1(); //true
staticPractise2.printUddhavsStatic1(); /*false, because, when staticPractise2 is blueprinted, it tracks everything other than static things and it organizes in its own heap. So, class static methods, object can't reference */
}
}
Second Class
public class StaticPractise2 {
public static void printUddhavsStatic1() {
System.out.println("Uddhav");
}
public void printUddhav() {
System.out.println("Uddhav");
}
}
main() is a static method which has two fundamental restrictions:
The static method cannot use a non-static data member or directly call non-static method.
this() and super() cannot be used in static context.
class A {
int a = 40; //non static
public static void main(String args[]) {
System.out.println(a);
}
}
Output: Compile Time Error
A question was asked here about the choice of the word 'static' for this concept. It was dup'd to this question, but I don't think the etymology has been clearly addressed. So...
It's due to keyword reuse, starting with C.
Consider data declarations in C (inside a function body):
void f() {
int foo = 1;
static int bar = 2;
:
}
The variable foo is created on the stack when the function is entered (and destroyed when the function terminates). By contrast, bar is always there, so it's 'static' in the sense of common English - it's not going anywhere.
Java, and similar languages, have the same concept for data. Data can either be allocated per instance of the class (per object) or once for the entire class. Since Java aims to have familiar syntax for C/C++ programmers, the 'static' keyword is appropriate here.
class C {
int foo = 1;
static int bar = 2;
:
}
Lastly, we come to methods.
class C {
int foo() { ... }
static int bar() { ... }
:
}
There is, conceptually speaking, an instance of foo() for every instance of class C. There is only one instance of bar() for the entire class C. This is parallel to the case we discussed for data, and therefore using 'static' is again a sensible choice, especially if you don't want to add more reserved keywords to your language.
Static Variables Can only be accessed only in static methods, so when we declare the static variables those getter and setter methods will be static methods
static methods is a class level we can access using class name
The following is example for Static Variables Getters And Setters:
public class Static
{
private static String owner;
private static int rent;
private String car;
public String getCar() {
return car;
}
public void setCar(String car) {
this.car = car;
}
public static int getRent() {
return rent;
}
public static void setRent(int rent) {
Static.rent = rent;
}
public static String getOwner() {
return owner;
}
public static void setOwner(String owner) {
Static.owner = owner;
}
}
A member in a Java program can be declared as static using the keyword “static” preceding its declaration/definition. When a member is declared static, then it essentially means that the member is shared by all the instances of a class without making copies of per instance.
Thus static is a non-class modifier used in Java and can be applied to the following members:
Variables
Methods
Blocks
Classes (more specifically, nested classes)
When a member is declared static, then it can be accessed without using an object. This means that before a class is instantiated, the static member is active and accessible. Unlike other non-static class members that cease to exist when the object of the class goes out of scope, the static member is still obviously active.
Static Variable in Java
A member variable of a class that is declared as static is called the Static Variable. It is also called as the “Class variable”. Once the variable is declared as static, memory is allocated only once and not every time when a class is instantiated. Hence you can access the static variable without a reference to an object.
The following Java program depicts the usage of Static variables:
class Main
{
// static variables a and b
static int a = 10;
static int b;
static void printStatic()
{
a = a /2;
b = a;
System.out.println("printStatic::Value of a : "+a + " Value of b :
"+b);
}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
printStatic();
b = a*5;
a++;
System.out.println("main::Value of a : "+a + " Value of b : "+b);
}
}
output::
printStatic::Value of a : Value of b : 5
main::Value of a : 6 Value of b : 25
In the above program, we have two static variables i.e. a and b. We modify these variables in a function “printStatic” as well as in “main”. Note that the values of these static variables are preserved across the functions even when the scope of the function ends. The output shows the values of variables in two functions.
Static Method
A method in Java is static when it is preceded by the keyword “static”.
Some points that you need to remember about the static method include:
A static method belongs to the class as against other non-static
methods that are invoked using the instance of a class.
To invoke a static method, you don’t need a class object.
The static data members of the class are accessible to the static
method. The static method can even change the values of the static
data member.
A static method cannot have a reference to ‘this’ or ‘super’ members.
Even if a static method tries to refer them, it will be a compiler
error.
Just like static data, the static method can also call other static
methods. A static method cannot refer to non-static data members or
variables and cannot call non-static methods too.
The following program shows the implementation of the static method in Java:
class Main
{
// static method
static void static_method()
{
System.out.println("Static method in Java...called without any
object");
}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
static_method();
}
}
output:
Static method in Java...called without any object
Static Block In Java
Just as you have function blocks in programming languages like C++, C#, etc. in Java also, there is a special block called “static” block that usually includes a block of code related to static data.
This static block is executed at the moment when the first object of the class is created (precisely at the time of classloading) or when the static member inside the block is used.
The following program shows the usage of a static block.
class Main
{
static int sum = 0;
static int val1 = 5;
static int val2;
// static block
static {
sum = val1 + val2;
System.out.println("In static block, val1: " + val1 + " val2: "+
val2 + " sum:" + sum);
val2 = val1 * 3;
sum = val1 + val2;
}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
System.out.println("In main function, val1: " + val1 + " val2: "+ val2 + " sum:" + sum);
}
}
output:
In static block, val1: 5 val2: 0 sum:5
In main function, val1: val2: 15 sum:20
Static Class
In Java, you have static blocks, static methods, and even static variables. Hence it’s obvious that you can also have static classes. In Java, it is possible to have a class inside another class and this is called a Nested class. The class that encloses the nested class is called the Outer class.
In Java, although you can declare a nested class as Static it is not possible to have the outer class as Static.
Let’s now explore the static nested classes in Java.
Static Nested Class
As already mentioned, you can have a nested class in Java declared as static. The static nested class differs from the non-static nested class(inner class) in certain aspects as listed below.
Unlike the non-static nested class, the nested static class doesn’t need an outer class reference.
A static nested class can access only static members of the outer class as against the non-static classes that can access static as well as non-static members of the outer class.
An example of a static nested class is given below.
class Main{
private static String str = "SoftwareTestingHelp";
//Static nested class
static class NestedClass{
//non-static method
public void display() {
System.out.println("Static string in OuterClass: " + str);
}
}
public static void main(String args[])
{
Main.NestedClassobj = new Main.NestedClass();
obj.display();
}
}
output
Static string in OuterClass: SoftwareTestingHelp
I think this is how static keyword works in java.
I have the following two classes (in two separate files).
public class Foo
{
public static class A
{
public static final boolean FLAG = false;
}
public final A A = new A();
}
public class Bar
{
void method()
{
if (Foo.A.FLAG) <<<< this is giving "Cannot make static ref to non-static field
// do something
;
}
}
My question is, why isn't the compiler able to recorgnise that by Foo.A, I meant the class A, not the member, which also happens to be named A?
This is called obscuring, an obscure feature/limitation of Java
A simple name may occur in contexts where it may potentially be
interpreted as the name of a variable, a type, or a package. In these
situations, the rules of §6.5 specify that a variable will be chosen
in preference to a type, and that a type will be chosen in preference
to a package. Thus, it is may sometimes be impossible to refer to a
visible type or package declaration via its simple name. We say that
such a declaration is obscured.
If the variable A was static, it would compile since you can can access static members on object references.
Also FLAG hasn't been initialized.
Some ways to access the flag:
<Foo_A extends Foo.A> void test1()
{
if(Foo_A.FLAG)
;
}
void test2()
{
class Foo_A extends Foo.A{}
if(Foo_A.FLAG)
;
}
-------------------------------------
import pkg.Foo.A;
public class Bar
{
void test3()
{
if(A.FLAG)
;
}
}
in these contexts, "Foo.A" can only be interpreted as a type, not a variable.
Because inner classes require an instance of the enclosing type. If you dont have an instance of Foo, A doesnt exist.
Edit - This is incorrect, but the reason why is informative. see the comments below:
This question already has answers here:
Cannot refer to a non-final variable inside an inner class defined in a different method
(20 answers)
Why are only final variables accessible in anonymous class?
(15 answers)
Closed 9 years ago.
Given the following inner class (IsSomething) within a method:
public class InnerMethod {
private int x;
public class Something {
private int y;
public void printMyNumber(double x)
{
class IsSomething extends Something {
public void print() {
System.out.println(x);
}
}
}
}
}
Why does the X variable has to be FINAL to make it work..?
(I'm talking ofc about the X parameter of the "printMyNumber" function.)
The difference is between local variables vs class member variables. A member variable exists during the lifetime of the enclosing object, so it can be referenced by the inner class instance. A local variable, however, exists only during the method invocation, and is handled differently by the compiler, in that an implicit copy of it is generated as the member of the inner class. Without declaring the local variable final, one could change it, leading to subtle errors due to the inner class still referring to the original value of that variable.
Final local variables
There are two reasons I know for making a local variable or a
parameter final. The first reason is that you don't want your code
changing the local variable or parameter. It is considered by many to
be bad style to change a parameter inside a method as it makes the
code unclear. As a habit, some programmers make all their parameters
"final" to prevent themselves from changing them. I don't do that,
since I find it makes my method signature a bit ugly.
The second reason comes in when we want to access a local variable or
parameter from within an inner class. This is the actual reason, as
far as I know, that final local variables and parameters were
introduced into the Java language in JDK 1.1.
public class Access1 {
public void f() {
final int i = 3;
Runnable runnable = new Runnable() {
public void run() {
System.out.println(i);
}
};
}
}
Inside the run() method we can only access i if we make it final in the outer class. To understand the reasoning, we have to
look at what the compiler does. It produces two files, Access1.class
and Access1$1.class. When we decompile them with JAD, we get:
public class Access1 {
public Access1() {}
public void f() {
Access1$1 access1$1 = new Access1$1(this);
}
}
and
class Access1$1 implements Runnable {
Access1$1(Access1 access1) {
this$0 = access1;
}
public void run() {
System.out.println(3);
}
private final Access1 this$0;
}
Since the value of i is final, the compiler can "inline" it into the inner
class. It perturbed me that the local variables had to be final to be
accessed by the inner class until I saw the above.
When the value of the local variable can change for different
instances of the inner class, the compiler adds it as a data member of
the inner class and lets it be initialised in the constructor. The
underlying reason behind this is that Java does not have pointers, the
way that C has.
Consider the following class:
public class Access2 {
public void f() {
for (int i=0; i<10; i++) {
final int value = i;
Runnable runnable = new Runnable() {
public void run() {
System.out.println(value);
}
};
}
}
}
The problem here is that we have to make a new local data member each time we go through the for loop, so a thought I had today
while coding, was to change the above code to the following:
public class Access3 {
public void f() {
Runnable[] runners = new Runnable[10];
for (final int[] i={0}; i[0]<runners.length; i[0]++) {
runners[i[0]] = new Runnable() {
private int counter = i[0];
public void run() {
System.out.println(counter);
}
};
}
for (int i=0; i<runners.length; i++)
runners[i].run();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Access3().f();
}
}
We now don't have to declare an additional final local variable. In fact, is it not perhaps true that
int[] i is like a common C pointer to an int? It took me 4 years to
see this, but I'd like to hear from you if you have heard this idea
somewhere else.
The methods in an anonymous class don't really have access to local variables and method parameters. Rather, when an object of the anonymous class is instantiated, copies of the final local variables and method parameters referred to by the object's methods are stored as instance variables in the object. The methods in the object of the anonymous class really access those hidden instance variables.
From the JLS :
Any local variable, formal method parameter or exception handler parameter used but not declared in an inner class must be declared final. Any local variable, used but not declared in an inner class must be definitely assigned (§16) before the body of the inner class.
This is because the lifetime of an instance of a local class can be much longer than the execution of the method in which the class is defined. For this reason, a local class must have a private internal copy of all local variables it uses (these copies are automatically generated by the compiler). The only way to ensure that the local variable and the private copy are always the same is to insist that the local variable is final.
I have the following two classes:
public class Class1
{
public Class1 randomvariable; // Variable declared
public static void main(String[] args)
{
randomvariable = new Class1(); // Variable initialized
}
}
public class Class2
{
public static void ranMethod()
{
randomvariable.getSomething(); // I can't access the member "randomvariable" here even though it's public and it's in the same project?
}
}
I am very certain that it's a very fundamental thing I'm missing here, but what am I actually missing? The Class1 member "randomvariable" is public and so is the class and both classes are in the same project.
What do I have to do to fix this problem?
There are two problems:
Firstly, you're trying to assign a value to randomvariable from main, without there being an instance of Class1. This would be okay in an instance method, as randomvariable would be implicitly this.randomvariable - but this is a static method.
Secondly, you're trying to read the value from Class2.ranMethod, again without there being an instance of Class1 involved.
It's important that you understand what an instance variable is. It's a value associated with a particular instance of a class. So if you had a class called Person, you might have a variable called name. Now in Class2.ranMethod, you'd effectively be writing:
name.getSomething();
That makes no sense - firstly there's nothing associating this code with Person at all, and secondly it doesn't say which person is involved.
Likewise within the main method - there's no instance, so you haven't got the context.
Here's an alternative program which does work, so you can see the difference:
public class Person {
// In real code you should almost *never* have public variables
// like this. It would normally be private, and you'd expose
// a public getName() method. It might be final, too, with the value
// assigned in the constructor.
public String name;
public static void main(String[] args) {
Person x = new Person();
x.name = "Fred";
PersonPresenter.displayPerson(x);
}
}
class PersonPresenter {
// In a real system this would probably be an instance method
public static void displayPerson(Person person) {
System.out.println("I present to you: " + person.name);
}
}
As you can tell by the comments, this still isn't ideal code - but I wanted to stay fairly close to your original code.
However, this now works: main is trying to set the value of an instance variable for a particular instance, and likewise presentPerson is given a reference to an instance as a parameter, so it can find out the value of the name variable for that instance.
When you try to access randomvariable you have to specify where it lives. Since its a non-static class field, you need an instance of Class1 in order to have a randomvariable. For instance:
Class1 randomclass;
randomclass.randomvariable.getSomething();
If it were a static field instead, meaning that only one exists per class instead of one per instance, you could access it with the class name:
Class1.randomvariable.getSomething();
How do you define Global variables in Java ?
To define Global Variable you can make use of static Keyword
public class Example {
public static int a;
public static int b;
}
now you can access a and b from anywhere
by calling
Example.a;
Example.b;
You don't. That's by design. You shouldn't do it even if you could.
That being said you could create a set of public static members in a class named Globals.
public class Globals {
public static int globalInt = 0;
///
}
but you really shouldn't :). Seriously .. don't do it.
Another way is to create an interface like this:
public interface GlobalConstants
{
String name = "Chilly Billy";
String address = "10 Chicken head Lane";
}
Any class that needs to use them only has to implement the interface:
public class GlobalImpl implements GlobalConstants
{
public GlobalImpl()
{
System.out.println(name);
}
}
You are better off using dependency injection:
public class Globals {
public int a;
public int b;
}
public class UsesGlobals {
private final Globals globals;
public UsesGlobals(Globals globals) {
this.globals = globals;
}
}
Lots of good answers, but I want to give this example as it's considered the more proper way to access variables of a class by another class: using getters and setters.
The reason why you use getters and setters this way instead of just making the variable public is as follows. Lets say your var is going to be a global parameter that you NEVER want someone to change during the execution of your program (in the case when you are developing code with a team), something like maybe the URL for a website. In theory this could change and may be used many times in your program, so you want to use a global var to be able to update it all at once. But you do not want someone else to go in and change this var (possibly without realizing how important it is). In that case you simply do not include a setter method, and only include the getter method.
public class Global{
private static int var = 5;
public static int getVar(){
return Global.var;
}
//If you do not want to change the var ever then do not include this
public static void setVar(int var){
Global.var = var;
}
}
Truly speaking there is not a concept of "GLOBAL" in a java OO program
Nevertheless there is some truth behind your question because there will be some cases where you want to run a method at any part of the program.
For example---random() method in Phrase-O-Matic app;it is a method should be callable from anywhere of a program.
So in order to satisfy the things like Above "We need to have Global-like variables and methods"
TO DECLARE A VARIABLE AS GLOBAL.
1.Mark the variable as public static final While declaring.
TO DECLARE A METHOD AS GLOBAL.
1. Mark the method as public static While declaring.
Because I declared global variables and method as static you can call them anywhere you wish by simply with the help of following code
ClassName.X
NOTE: X can be either method name or variable name as per the requirement and ClassName is the name of the class in which you declared them.
There is no global variable in Java
Nevertheless, what we do have is a static keyword and that is all we need.
Nothing exists outside of class in Java. The static keyword represents a class variable that, contrary to instance variable, only has one copy and that transcends across all the instances of that class created, which means that its value can be changed and accessed across all instances at any point.
If you need a global variable which can be accessed beyond scopes, then this is the variable that you need, but its scope exists only where the class is, and that will be all.
Nothing should be global, except for constants.
public class MyMainClass {
public final static boolean DEBUGMODE=true;
}
Put this within your main class. In other .java files, use it through:
if(MyMainClass.DEBUGMODE) System.out.println("Some debugging info");
Make sure when you move your code off the cutting room floor and into release you remove or comment out this functionality.
If you have a workhorse method, like a randomizer, I suggest creating a "Toolbox" package! All coders should have one, then whenever you want to use it in a .java, just import it!
There is no such thing as a truly global variable in Java. Every static variable must belong to some class (like System.out), but when you have decided which class it will go in, you can refer to it from everywhere loaded by the same classloader.
Note that static variables should always be protected when updating to avoid race conditions.
Understanding the problem
I consider the qualification of global variable as a variable that could be accessed and changed anywhere in the code without caring about static/instance call or passing any reference from one class to another.
Usually if you have class A
public class A {
private int myVar;
public A(int myVar) {
this.myVar = myVar;
}
public int getMyVar() {
return myVar;
}
public void setMyVar(int mewVar) {
this.myVar = newVar;
}
}
and want to access and update myvar in a class B,
public class B{
private A a;
public void passA(A a){
this.a = a;
}
public void changeMyVar(int newVar){
a.setMyvar(newVar);
}
}
you will need to have a reference of an instance of the class A and update the value in the class B like this:
int initialValue = 2;
int newValue = 3;
A a = new A(initialValue);
B b = new B();
b.passA(a);
b.changeMyVar(newValue);
assertEquals(a.getMyVar(),newValue); // true
Solution
So my solution to this, (even if i'm not sure if it's a good practice), is to use a singleton:
public class Globals {
private static Globals globalsInstance = new Globals();
public static Globals getInstance() {
return globalsInstance;
}
private int myVar = 2;
private Globals() {
}
public int getMyVar() {
return myVar;
}
public void setMyVar(int myVar) {
this.myVar = myVar;
}
}
Now you can get the Global unique instance anywhere with:
Globals globals = Globals.getInstance();
// and read and write to myVar with the getter and setter like
int myVar = globals.getMyVar();
global.setMyVar(3);
public class GlobalClass {
public static int x = 37;
public static String s = "aaa";
}
This way you can access them with GlobalClass.x and GlobalClass.s
If you need to update global property, a simple getter/setter wrapper class can be used as global variable. A typical example is shown below.
public class GlobalHolder {
private static final GlobalHolder INSTANCE = new GlobalHolder();
private volatile int globalProperty;
public static GlobalHolder getInstance() {
return INSTANCE;
}
public int getGlobalProperty() {
return globalProperty;
}
public void setGlobalProperty(int globalProperty) {
this.globalProperty = globalProperty;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
GlobalHolder.getInstance().setGlobalProperty(10);
System.out.println(GlobalHolder.getInstance().getGlobalProperty());
}
}
public class GlobalImpl {
public static int global = 5;
}
you can call anywhere you want:
GlobalImpl.global // 5
Creating an independent file, eg. Example.java to use the 1st solution, is just fine. You can do that also within the app, if e.g. the global variables are special to your current app, etc.:
Create a class at the beginning and declare your variables in there:
class Globals {
static int month_number;
static String month_name;
}
You can then access these variables -- using them as 'Globals.month_number', etc. -- from averywhere in your app.
very simple:
class UseOfGlobal
{
private static int a;
private static int b;
}
but it is always good to have local variables defined inside method blocks where ever possible.
As you probably guess from the answer there is no global variables in Java and the only thing you can do is to create a class with static members:
public class Global {
public static int a;
}
You can use it with Global.a elsewhere. However if you use Java 1.5 or better you can use the import static magic to make it look even more as a real global variable:
import static test.Global.*;
public class UseGlobal {
public void foo() {
int i = a;
}
}
And voilà!
Now this is far from a best practice so as you can see in the commercials: don't do this at home
There are no global variables in Java, but there are global classes with public fields. You can use static import feature of java 5 to make it look almost like global variables.
Generally Global variable (I assume you are comparing it with C,Cpp) define as public static final
like
class GlobalConstant{
public static final String CODE = "cd";
}
ENUMs are also useful in such scenario :
For Example Calendar.JANUARY)
To allow an unqualified access to static members of another class, you can also do a static import:
import static my.package.GlobalConstants;
Now, instead of print(GlobalConstants.MY_PASSWORD);
you can use the Constant directly: print(MY_PASSWORD);
See What does the "static" modifier after "import" mean? to decide about.
And consider the answer of Evan Lévesque about interfaces to carry the Constants.
// Get the access of global while retaining priveleges.
// You can access variables in one class from another, with provisions.
// The primitive must be protected or no modifier (seen in example).
// the first class
public class farm{
int eggs; // an integer to be set by constructor
fox afox; // declaration of a fox object
// the constructor inits
farm(){
eggs = 4;
afox = new fox(); // an instance of a fox object
// show count of eggs before the fox arrives
System.out.println("Count of eggs before: " + eggs);
// call class fox, afox method, pass myFarm as a reference
afox.stealEgg(this);
// show the farm class, myFarm, primitive value
System.out.println("Count of eggs after : " + eggs);
} // end constructor
public static void main(String[] args){
// instance of a farm class object
farm myFarm = new farm();
}; // end main
} // end class
// the second class
public class fox{
// theFarm is the myFarm object instance
// any public, protected, or "no modifier" variable is accessible
void stealEgg(farm theFarm){ --theFarm.eggs; }
} // end class
Going by the concept, global variables, also known as instance variable are the class level variables,i.e., they are defined inside a class but outside methods. In order to make them available completely and use them directly provide the static keyword.
So if i am writing a program for simple arithmetical operation and it requires a number pair then two instance variables are defined as such:
public class Add {
static int a;
static int b;
static int c;
public static void main(String arg[]) {
c=sum();
System.out.println("Sum is: "+c);
}
static int sum() {
a=20;
b=30;
return a+b;
}
}
Output: Sum is: 50
Moreover using static keyword prior to the instance variables enable us not to specify datatypes for same variables again and again. Just write the variable directly.
In general, Java doesn't have any global variables. Other than local variables, all variables comes under the scope of any class defined in the program.
We can have static variables to have the scope of global variables.
without static this is possible too:
class Main {
String globalVar = "Global Value";
class Class1 {
Class1() {
System.out.println("Class1: "+globalVar);
globalVar += " - changed";
} }
class Class2 {
Class2() {
System.out.println("Class2: "+globalVar);
} }
public static void main(String[] args) {
Main m = new Main();
m.mainCode();
}
void mainCode() {
Class1 o1 = new Class1();
Class2 o2 = new Class2();
}
}
/*
Output:
Class1: Global Value
Class2: Global Value - changed
*/
Object-Oriented Programming is built with the understanding that the scope of variables is closely exclusive to the class object that encapsulates those variables.
The problem with creating "global variables" is that it's not industry standard for Java. It's not industry standard because it allows multiple classes to manipulate data asyncronized, if you're running a multi-threaded application, this gets a little more complicated and dangerous in terms of thread-safety. There are various other reasons why using global variables are ineffective, but if you want to avoid that, I suggest you resort to Aspect-Oriented Programming.
Aspect-Oriented Programming negates this problem by putting the parent class in charge of the scope through something called "advices", which adds additional behavior to the code without actually modifying it. It offers solutions to cross-cutting concerns, or global variable usage.
Spring is a Java framework that utilizes AOP, and while it is traditionally used for web-applications, the core application can be used universally throughout the Java framework (8.0 included). This might be a direction you want to explore more.
To define Global Variable you can make use of static Keyword
public final class Tools {
public static int a;
public static int b;
}
now you can access a and b from anywhere by calling
Tools.a;
Tools.b;
Yoy are right...specially in J2ME...
You can avoid NullPointerException by putting inside your MidLet constructor
(proggy initialization) this line of code:
new Tools();
This ensures that Tools will be allocated before any instruction
that uses it.
That's it!