Lesson: Language Basics

Variables

You've already learned that objects store their state in fields. However, the Java programming language also uses the term "variable" as well. This section discusses this relationship, plus variable naming rules and conventions, basic data types (primitive types, character strings, and arrays), default values, and literals.

Operators

This section describes the operators of the Java programming language. It presents the most commonly-used operators first, and the less commonly-used operators last. Each discussion includes code samples that you can compile and run.

Expressions, Statements, and Blocks

Operators may be used in building expressions, which compute values; expressions are the core components of statements; statements may be grouped into blocks. This section discusses expressions, statements, and blocks using example code that you've already seen.

Control Flow Statements

This section describes the control flow statements supported by the Java programming language. It covers the decisions-making, looping, and branching statements that enable your programs to conditionally execute particular blocks of code.