Java keyword list abstract continue for new switch assert default goto * package synchronized boolean do if private this break double implements protected throw byte else import public throws case enum instanceof return transient catch extends int short try char final interface static void class finally long strictfp volatile const * float native super while Keyword marked with an asterisk (*) are keywords that, although valid, are not used by programmers. This is the last chapter of the Java Keyword series. This is probably the keyword I have used the least. In my 20 year career as a software developer, I have used this keyword once, and that was to make some addition to legacy code. The keyword native is a method modifier . Basically, it is a keyword that can only be applied to methods. According to the Java Language Specification (JLS), A method that is native is implemented i...
The meaning of data type in programming To properly define what is a data type in computer science, we must understand first what "type" means. After perusing the web for a definition, I found this: -A category of people or things having common characteristics . In computer science, in this case specifically for programming in Java, a data type is simply a categorization of things (objects) that have common characteristics. For illustration purposes, let us consider something we are all familiarized with: money. Since I am American, I am more familiarized with American currency . Therefore, I will use that for my first example. American currency comes in bills or banknotes (generally referred as paper currency) and in metallic form called coins. Using the definition of data types, the generic data type known as "American Currency" can be further classified as "Paper Currency" and "Coin". Why do this? Because, although all...