Java small code confusion

[Sangeeta Sharma]

Hi Frns,

I am writing a simple program and got confused with a small fragment of code.I am writing that code fragment pls clarify the confusion.
int i=10;
int k=0;
i = ++i;
i = i++;
System.out.println(i);

this will print value as 11

and if the same program is written as

Int i=10;
int k=0;
k = ++i;
k = i++;
System.out.println(i);

this will print i as 12

why is there disprecency in the answers

[Stuart Gray]

To really understand why you should realise that statements such as:

i = ++i
i = i++

are actually considered very bad form. The preincrement (++i) and postincrement (i++) operators do not need to be part of an assignment statement, and in fact using them as part of one can cause a lot of confusion. For example the statement i=i++ actually has the same result as i=i - which of course is a totally redundant statement.
If you change the above two lines to:

i++;
++i;

or even simply:

i += 2;

you will hopefully see why there is a difference between the two peices of code.

[EDIT: Incidentally, this is the second or third time this problem has come up in recent weeks. Is this just a common beginners mistake or is there actually an institution somewhere giving out this kind of code for assignments?]
[ August 04, 2005: Message edited by: Stuart Gray ]

[Mahesh x Bogadi]

You need to understand the preincrement and postincrement first.

* Preincrement does - first increment the value and then give the value.
* Postincrement does - first return(get) the value and then increment.
Hence the behavior.

The assignment operation happens like :
Say expression is
var = (expression);
*the expression is evaluated. Say (expression resulted in x)
so var = x;
*hence var has value x.

If we apply the same to below.

int i=10;
int k=0;
i = ++i; // ++i results in 11 so i = 11, hence value of i becomes 11
i = i++; // here the i++ result 11 though the value in i is incremented
// to 12 then i = 11, hence the value of i becomes 11
System.out.println(i);
this will print value as 11

Then below is easy.

and if the same program is written as
Int i=10;
int k=0;
k = ++i;
k = i++;
System.out.println(i);
this will print i as 12


I hope this helps.

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Originally posted by Stuart Gray:

Incidentally, this is the second or third time this problem has come up in recent weeks. Is this just a common beginners mistake or is there actually an institution somewhere giving out this kind of code for assignments?

SCJP study guides always have questions about the behavior of things like

i = i++ + ++i;

as though this were a common sort of programming conundrum. Unfortunately, studying for the SCJP is quite often a fledgling programmer's first exposure to Java.

[Sherry Jacob]

Originally posted by Sangeeta Sharma:
Hi Frns,

I am writing a simple program and got confused with a small fragment of code.I am writing that code fragment pls clarify the confusion.
int i=10;
int k=0;
i = ++i;
i = i++;
System.out.println(i);

this will print value as 11

and if the same program is written as

Int i=10;
int k=0;
k = ++i;
k = i++;
System.out.println(i);

this will print i as 12

why is there disprecency in the answers

Hi Sangeeta,
There is no discrepancy in the answers. The answers are absolutely correct.
Why ? Here's why...

When u say ++i, u can segregate this operation into 3 separate operations :
i += 1;
result = i;
return result;

Thus in the first program, when u say i = ++i, u get the value of i as :
i += 1 //i.e..11;
result = i //i.e..result = 11
return result; //i.e..return 11;

This value returned (11) is then stored into i. So new value of i becomes 11.

Now when u use the operation i++, u can consider 3 operations again:
result = i;
i += 1;
return result;

So in the next line of the first program, when u say i = i++, u get:
result = i //i.e..result = 11 since i got the new value 11 from the previous step.
i += 1 //i.e..i = 11+1 = 12.
return result //i.e..return 11

Hope u understood that !!

Now coming to the next program lines with variable 'k':
Keeping the above 3-line operations in view, we have k = ++i;
So,
i += 1; //i.e..i=11
result = i; //i.e..result = 11
return result // return 11;

So k = 11.

and the next statement :
k = i++ yields

result = i; //i.e..result = 11 since i is 11 from previous step
i += 1; //i.e..i = 12;
return result; //i.e..return 11

this final value 11 is stored in k.
Hence i=11 and k=11 from first step
and i=12 and k=11 from second step.

Hope this gets ur fundas absolutely crystal clear !!

Cheers !!