Variable initialization

[Akhilesh Trivedi]

 
class AQuestion
{
     private int i = giveMeJ();
     private int j = 10;
 
     private int giveMeJ()
     {
          return j;
     }
 
     public static void main(String args[])
     {
          System.out.println((new AQuestion()).i);
     }
}

This one show output as 0. why?
[ October 05, 2006: Message edited by: Akhilesh Trivedi ]

[Sai Surya]

HI Trivedi,

This is because you are initializing j after calling the giveMeJ() method. So by the time you call this method j does not have any value except default value 0. If you change private int j = 10 before calling giveMeJ() it prints 10. Please do verify.

- Surya

[Ali Gohar]

As you are accessing variable j before its initialization.

[wise owen]

This is a way to get around with the forward reference rule.
What are the forward reference rules?

[ganeshraj selvaraj]

Hi Trivedi,

When considering the variables
1- All INSTANCE VARIABLES will have the default value as the zero.

2- All LOCAL VARIABLES (i.e with in the method) should be initialised before use.No default value is allocated for those variables.

If you use the local variables without intialising then you will definitely get error.Similarly if you use the instance variables without intialising then you will not get the error because every instance variables will be having the default values.

Regards,
Ganeshraj S

[Anvi Dixit]

Hello Trivedi,

If you wannt to have the value of the variable j as 10 instead of 0 , just add Private static int j = 10; instead of private int j = 10;

and then test . you will get the value as 10.

Thanks and Regards
Anvi