Cannot resolve symbol

[Maria Garcia]

  
class GCTest
{
String obj = new String("Hello");
String obj1 = new String("World");
String obj2 = obj;
String obj3 = null;
obj = null;
obj2 = null;
protected void finalize() 
{
System.out.println("Finalizing...");
throw new RuntimeException();
}
public static void main(String args[])
{
System.out.println("In Main");
System.gc();
System.out.println("After call to gc.");
}
}

Why is it giving the following error ?
GCTest.java:7 <identifier> expected
obj = null;
GCTest.java:8 <identifier> expected
obj2 = null;
GCTest.java:7 cannot resolve symbol
symbol: class obj
location: class GCTest
obj = null;
GCTest.java:8 cannot resolve symbol
symbol: class obj
location: class GCTest
obj2 = null;

[Tom Adams]

I will take a run at this...caveats apply:
the obj & obj2 assignment statements need to be place inside a method (maybe the constructor) or inside an instance initilaization block...
{
obj = null;
obj2 = null;
}

[Maria Garcia]

I'm still a bit confused...

[Dan Culache]

From the Java specification:

A class body may contain declarations of members of the class, that is, fields (�8.3), classes (�8.5), interfaces (�8.5) and methods (�8.4). A class body may also contain instance initializers (�8.6), static initializers (�8.7), and declarations of constructors (�8.8) for the class.

but
obj = null;
obj2 = null;
are not declarations of a field, class, etc. They are assignments. They should be placed within one of the entities in the mentioned list.
Helpful?

[Maria Garcia]

Hmmm... thanks! Everything's clear now