numeric literals that include comma, beware of this

[Gurpreet Singh]

This is for all who are still prepareing for SCJP :
We all know that integer literals that include comma won't compile in java, but look at the following code.

class Test {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int f = 0x20,df;
System.out.println(f);
}
}

It WILL compile.

You know why?? Because, first the literal is a hexadecimal one, which is valid. Second d and f are also valid in hexadecimal. BUT, and this is the tricky one, here df is another variable and not a constant (which can go along with 0x20 as 0x20df). Got it. I guess so.

[Louie van Bommel]

int f = 0x20,df;

That's kinda kewl. It took me awhile to digest it until I realized it was like:
int f = 0x20;
int df;

A very similar (but much less confusing) example is

  
int x=32, y;

Which is creating two variables x and y, but initializing x.

Tx for the tip

[Gurpreet Singh]

The point here is, that integer literals generally don't include commas. But when used like given above, they surely can include comma, but that comma will not be a part of the literal. It will indicate a new variable of int.

Sounds like a Paradox.

It is

[Joe Borderi]

You can get part way to resolving your paradox by realizing that the , is used as a seperator in Java. Coming from C++ (where the , is also an operator) I had to stumble through this.

In Java, the following won't compile:

  
      for (int x=0, y=0; x<5, y<10; ++x,++y){
        cout<< "x == " << x << ", y == " << y << endl;
      }  

In C++, the code prints 10 times because operator,() evaluates to its right-most expression.

[Barry Gaunt]

Originally posted by Gurpreet Singh:
The point here is, that integer literals generally don't include commas. But when used like given above, they surely can include comma, but that comma will not be a part of the literal. It will indicate a new variable of int.

Sounds like a Paradox.

It is

The "paradox" is only in the way you describe this.
When I read int f = 0x20,df; I saw the comma and said this is a definitioon of two variables. One is explicitly initialized, the other not. The comma is in no way a hexadecimal digit (0123456789ABCDEF) so how can it be ever thought to be part of the literal?