Java data type

last modified July 16, 2024

In this article we show how to work with data types in Java.

Computer programs, including spreadsheets, text editors, calculators, or chat clients, work with data. Tools to work with various data types are essential part of a modern computer language. A data type is a set of values and the allowable operations on those values.

Java programming language is a statically typed language. It means that every variable and every expression has a type that is known at compile time. Java language is also a strongly typed language because types limit the values that a variable can hold or that an expression can produce, limit the operations supported on those values, and determine the meaning of the operations.

Strong static typing helps detect errors at compile time. Variables in dynamically typed languages like Ruby or Python can receive different data types over the time. In Java, once a variable is declared to be of a certain data type, it cannot hold values of other data types.

There are two fundamental data types in Java: primitive types and reference types. Primitive types are:

boolean
char
byte
short
int
long
float
double

There is a specific keyword for each of these types in Java. Primitive types are not objects in Java. Primitive data types cannot be stored in Java collections which work only with objects. They can be placed into arrays instead.

The reference types are:

class types
interface types
array types

There is also a special null type which represents a non-existing value.

In Ruby programming language, everything is an object. Even basic data types.

#!/usr/bin/ruby

4.times { puts "Ruby" }

This Ruby script prints four times "Ruby" string to the console. We call a times method on the 4 number. This number is an object in Ruby.

Java has a different approach. It has primitive data types and wrapper classes. Wrapper classes transform primitive types into objects. Wrapper classes are covered in the next chapter.

Boolean values

There is a duality built in our world. There is a Heaven and Earth, water and fire, jing and jang, man and woman, love and hatred. In Java the boolean data type is a primitive data type having one of two values: true or false.

Happy parents are waiting a child to be born. They have chosen a name for both possibilities. If it is going to be a boy, they have chosen Robert. If it is going to be a girl, they have chosen Victoria.

Main.java

import java.util.Random;

void main() {

    String name = "";
    Random r = new Random();
    boolean male = r.nextBoolean();

    if (male == true) {

        name = "Robert";
    }

    if (male == false) {

        name = "Victoria";
    }

    System.out.format("We will use name %s%n", name);

    System.out.println(9 > 8);
}

The program uses a random number generator to simulate our case.

Random r = new Random();
boolean male = r.nextBoolean();

The Random class is used to produce random numbers. The nextBoolean method returns randomly a boolean value.

if (male == true) {

    name = "Robert";
}

If the boolean variable male equals to true, we set the name variable to "Robert". The if keyword works with boolean values.

if (male == false) {

    name = "Victoria";
}

If the random generator chooses false than we set the name variable to "Victoria".

System.out.println(9 > 8);

Relational operators result in a boolean value. This line prints true to the console.

$ java Main.java
We will use name Robert
true
$ java Main.java
We will use name Robert
true
$ java Main.java
We will use name Victoria
true

Integers

Integers are a subset of the real numbers. They are written without a fraction or a decimal component. Integers fall within a set Z = {..., -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, ...} Integers are infinite.

In computer languages, integers are (usually) primitive data types. Computers can practically work only with a subset of integer values, because computers have finite capacity. Integers are used to count discrete entities. We can have 3, 4, or 6 humans, but we cannot have 3.33 humans. We can have 3.33 kilograms, 4.564 days, or 0.4532 kilometers.

Type	Size	Range
byte	8 bits	-128 to 127
short	16 bits	-32,768 to 32,767
char	16 bits	0 to 65,535
int	32 bits	-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
long	64 bits	-9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807

Table: Integer types in Java

These integer types may be used according to our needs. We can then use the byte type for a variable that stores the number of children a woman gave birth to. The oldest verified person died at 122, therefore we would probably choose at least the short type for the age variable. This will save us some memory.

Integer literals may be expressed in decimal, hexadecimal, octal, or binary notations. If a number has an ASCII letter L or l suffix, it is of type long. Otherwise it is of type int. The capital letter L is preferred for specifying long numbers, since lowercase l can be easily confused with number 1.

int a = 34;
byte b = 120;
short c = 32000;
long d = 45000;
long e = 320000L;

We have five assignments. Values 34, 120, 32000, and 45000 are integer literals of type int. There are no integer literals for byte and short types. If the values fit into the destination type, the compiler does not complain and performs a conversion automatically. For long numbers smaller than Integer.MAX_VALUE, the L suffix is optional.

long x = 2147483648L;
long y = 2147483649L;

For long numbers larger than Integer.MAX_VALUE, we must add the L suffix.

When we work with integers, we deal with discrete items. For instance, we can use integers to count apples.

Main.java

void main() {

    int baskets = 16;
    int applesInBasket = 24;

    int total = baskets * applesInBasket;

    System.out.format("There are total of %d apples%n", total);
}

In our program, we count the total amount of apples. We use the multiplication operation.

int baskets = 16;
int applesInBasket = 24;

The number of baskets and the number of apples in each basket are integer values.

int total = baskets * applesInBasket;

Multiplying those values we get an integer, too.

$ java Main.java
There are total of 384 apples

Integers can be specified in four different notations in Java: decimal, octal, hexadecimal, and binary. The binary notation was introduced in Java 7. Decimal numbers are used normally as we know them. Octal numbers are preceded with a 0 character and followed by octal numbers. Hexadecimal numbers are preceded with 0x characters and followed by hexadecimal numbers. Binary numbers start with 0b and are followed by binary numbers (zeroes and ones).

Main.java

void main() {

    int n1 = 31;
    int n2 = 0x31;
    int n3 = 031;
    int n4 = 0b1001;

    System.out.println(n1);
    System.out.println(n2);
    System.out.println(n3);
    System.out.println(n4);
}

We have four integer variables. Each of the variables is assigned a value with a different integer notation.

int n1 = 31;
int n2 = 0x31;
int n3 = 031;
int n4 = 0b1001;

The first is decimal, the second hexadecimal, the third octal, and the fourth binary.

$ java Main.java
31
49
25
9

Big numbers are difficult to read. If we have a number like 245342395423452, we find it difficult to read it quickly. Outside computers, big numbers are separated by spaces or commas. Since Java SE 1.7, it is possible to separate integers with an underscore.

The underscore cannot be used at the beginning or end of a number, adjacent to a decimal point in a floating point literal, and prior to an F or L suffix.

Main.java

void main() {

    long a = 23482345629L;
    long b = 23_482_345_629L;

    System.out.println(a == b);
}

This code sample demonstrates the usage of underscores in Java.

long a = 23482345629L;
long b = 23_482_345_629L;

We have two identical long numbers. In the second one we separate every three digits in a number. Comparing these two numbers we receive a boolean true. The L suffix tells the compiler that we have a long number literal.

Java byte, short, int and long types are used do represent fixed precision numbers.q This means that they can represent a limited amount of integers. The largest integer number that a long type can represent is 9223372036854775807. If we deal with even larger numbers, we have to use the java.math.BigInteger class. It is used to represent immutable arbitrary precision integers. Arbitrary precision integers are only limited by the amount of computer memory available.

Main.java

import java.math.BigInteger;

void main() {

    System.out.println(Long.MAX_VALUE);

    BigInteger b = new BigInteger("92233720368547758071");
    BigInteger c = new BigInteger("52498235605326345645");

    BigInteger a = b.multiply(c);

    System.out.println(a);
}

With the help of the java.math.BigInteger class, we multiply two very large numbers.

System.out.println(Long.MAX_VALUE);

We print the largest integer value which can be represented by a long type.

BigInteger b = new BigInteger("92233720368547758071");
BigInteger c = new BigInteger("52498235605326345645");

We define two BigInteger objects. They both hold larger values that a long type can hold.

BigInteger a = b.multiply(c);

With the multiply method, we multiply the two numbers. Note that the BigInteger numbers are immutable. The operation returns a new value which we assign to a new variable.

System.out.println(a);

The computed integer is printed to the console.

$ java Main.java
9223372036854775807
4842107582663807707870321673775984450795

Arithmetic overflow

An arithmetic overflow is a condition that occurs when a calculation produces a result that is greater in magnitude than that which a given register or storage location can store or represent.

Main.java

void main() {

    byte a = 126;

    System.out.println(a);
    a++;

    System.out.println(a);
    a++;

    System.out.println(a);
    a++;

    System.out.println(a);
}

In this example, we try to assign a value beyond the range of a data type. This leads to an arithmetic overflow.

$ java Main.java
126
127
-128
-127

When an overflow occurs, the variable is reset to negative upper range value.

Floating point numbers

Real numbers measure continuous quantities, like weight, height, or speed. Floating point numbers represent an approximation of real numbers in computing. In Java we have two primitive floating point types: float and double. The float is a single precision type which store numbers in 32 bits.

The double is a double precision type which store numbers in 64 bits. These two types have fixed precision and cannot represent exactly all real numbers. In situations where we have to work with precise numbers, we can use the BigDecimal class.

Floating point numbers with an F/f suffix are of type float, double numbers have D/d suffix. The suffix for double numbers is optional.

Let's say a sprinter for 100m ran 9.87s. What is his speed in km/h?

Main.java

void main() {

    float distance;
    float time;
    float speed;

    distance = 0.1f;

    time = 9.87f / 3600;

    speed = distance / time;

    System.out.format("The average speed of a sprinter is %f km/h%n", speed);
}

In this example, it is necessary to use floating point values. The low precision of the float data type does not pose a problem in this case.

distance = 0.1f;

100m is 0.1km.

time = 9.87f / 3600;

9.87s is 9.87/60*60h.

speed = distance / time;

To get the speed, we divide the distance by the time.

$ java Main.java
The average speed of a sprinter is 36.474163 km/h

This is the output of the program. A small rounding error in the number does not affect our understanding of the sprinter's speed.

The float and double types are inexact.

Main.java

void main() {

    double a = 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1;
    double b = 0.3;

    System.out.println(a);
    System.out.println(b);

    System.out.println(a == b);
}

The code example illustrates the inexact nature of the floating point values.

double a = 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1;
double b = 0.3;

We define two double values. The D/d suffix is optional. At first sight, they should be equal.

System.out.println(a);
System.out.println(b);

Printing them will show a very small difference.

System.out.println(a == b);

This line will return false.

$ java Main.java
0.30000000000000004
0.3
false

There is a small margin error. Therefore, the comparison operator returns a boolean false.

When we work with money, currency, and generally in business applications, we need to work with precise numbers. The rounding errors of the basic floating point types are not acceptable.

Main.java

void main() {

    float c = 1.46f;
    float sum = 0f;

    for (int i=0; i<100_000; i++) {

        sum += c;
    }

    System.out.println(sum);
}

The 1.46f represents 1 euro and 46 cents. We create a sum from 100000 such amounts.

for (int i=0; i<100_000; i++) {

    sum += c;
}

In this loop, we create a sum from 100000 such amounts of money.

$ java Main.java
146002.55

The calculation leads to an error of 2 euros and 55 cents.

To avoid this margin error, we utilize the BigDecimal class. It is used to hold immutable, arbitrary precision signed decimal numbers.

Main.java

import java.math.BigDecimal;

void main() {

    BigDecimal c = new BigDecimal("1.46");
    BigDecimal sum = new BigDecimal("0");

    for (int i=0; i<100_000; i++) {

        sum = sum.add(c);
    }

    System.out.println(sum);
}

We do the same operation with the same amount of money.

BigDecimal c = new BigDecimal("1.46");
BigDecimal sum = new BigDecimal("0");

We define two BigDecimal numbers.

for (int i=0; i<100_000; i++) {

    sum = sum.add(c);
}

The BigDecimal number is immutable, therefore a new object is always assigned to the sum variable in every loop.

$ java Main.java
146000.00

In this example, we get the precise value.

Java supports the scientific syntax of the floating point values. Also known as exponential notation, it is a way of writing numbers too large or small to be conveniently written in standard decimal notation.

Main.java

import java.math.BigDecimal;
import java.text.DecimalFormat;

void main() {

    double n = 1.235E10;
    DecimalFormat dec = new DecimalFormat("#.00");

    System.out.println(dec.format(n));

    BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("1.212e-19");

    System.out.println(bd.toEngineeringString());
    System.out.println(bd.toPlainString());
}

We define two floating point values using the scientific notation.

double n = 1.235E10;

This is a floating point value of a double type, written in scientific notation.

DecimalFormat dec = new DecimalFormat("#.00");

System.out.println(dec.format(n));

We use the DecimalFormat class to arrange our double value into standard decimal format.

BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("1.212e-19");

System.out.println(bd.toEngineeringString());
System.out.println(bd.toPlainString());

The BigDecimal class takes a floating point value in a scientific notation as a parameter. We use two methods of the class to print the value in the engineering and plain strings.

$ java Main.java
12350000000.00
121.2E-21
0.0000000000000000001212

Enumerations

An enum type is a special data type that enables for a variable to be a set of predefined constants. A variable that has been declared as having an enumerated type can be assigned any of the enumerators as a value. Enumerations make the code more readable. Enumerations are useful when we deal with variables that can only take one out of a small set of possible values.

Main.java

enum Days {

    MONDAY,
    TUESDAY,
    WEDNESDAY,
    THURSDAY,
    FRIDAY,
    SATURDAY,
    SUNDAY
}

void main() {

    Days day = Days.MONDAY;

    if (day == Days.MONDAY) {

        System.out.println("It is Monday");
    }

    System.out.println(day);

    for (Days d : Days.values()) {

        System.out.println(d);
    }
}

In our code example, we create an enumeration for week days.

enum Days {

    MONDAY,
    TUESDAY,
    WEDNESDAY,
    THURSDAY,
    FRIDAY,
    SATURDAY,
    SUNDAY
}

An enumeration representing the days of a week is created with a enum keyword. Items of an enumeration are constants. By convention, constants are written in uppercase letters.

Days day = Days.MONDAY;

We have a variable called day which is of enumerated type Days. It is initialized to Monday.

if (day == Days.MONDAY) {

    System.out.println("It is Monday");
}

This code is more readable than if comparing a day variable to some number.

System.out.println(day);

This line prints Monday to the console.

for (Days d : Days.values()) {

    System.out.println(d);
}

This loop prints all days to the console. The values method returns an array containing the constants of this enum type, in the order they are declared. This method may be used to iterate over the constants with the enhanced for statement. The enhanced for goes through the array, element by element, and prints them to the terminal.

$ java Main.java
It is Monday
MONDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY

It is possible to give some values to the enumeration constants.

Main.java

enum Season {

    SPRING(10),
    SUMMER(20),
    AUTUMN(30),
    WINTER(40);

    private int value;

    Season(int value) {
        this.value = value;
    }

    public int getValue() {

        return value;
    }
}

void main() {

    for (Season season : Season.values()) {
        System.out.println(season + " " + season.getValue());
    }
}

The example contains a Season enumeration which has four constants.

SPRING(10),
SUMMER(20),
AUTUMN(30),
WINTER(40);

Here we define four constants of the enum. The constants are given specific values.

private int value;

private Season(int value) {
    this.value = value;
}

When we define the constants, we also have to create a constructor. Constructors will be covered later in the tutorial.

$ java Main.java
SPRING 10
SUMMER 20
AUTUMN 30
WINTER 40

Strings and chars

A String is a data type representing textual data in computer programs. A string in Java is a sequence of characters. A char is a single character. Strings are enclosed by double quotes.

Main.java

void main() {

    String word = "ZetCode";

    char c = word.charAt(0);
    char d = word.charAt(3);

    System.out.println(c);
    System.out.println(d);
}

The program prints Z character to the terminal.

String word = "ZetCode";

Here we create a string variable and assign it "ZetCode" value.

char c = word.charAt(0);

The charAt method returns the char value at the specified index. The first char value of the sequence is at index 0, the next at index 1, and so on.

$ java Main.java
Z
C

The program prints the first and the fourth character of the "ZetCode" string to the console.

Arrays

Array is a complex data type which handles a collection of elements. Each of the elements can be accessed by an index. All the elements of an array must be of the same data type.

Main.java

void main() {

    int[] numbers = new int[5];

    numbers[0] = 3;
    numbers[1] = 2;
    numbers[2] = 1;
    numbers[3] = 5;
    numbers[4] = 6;

    int len = numbers.length;

    for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {

        System.out.println(numbers[i]);
    }
}

In this example, we declare an array, fill it with data and then print the contents of the array to the console.

int[] numbers = new int[5];

We create an integer array which can store up to 5 integers. So we have an array of five elements, with indexes 0..4.

numbers[0] = 3;
numbers[1] = 2;
numbers[2] = 1;
numbers[3] = 5;
numbers[4] = 6;

Here we assign values to the created array. We can access the elements of an array by the array access notation. It consists of the array name followed by square brackets. Inside the brackets we specify the index to the element that we want.

int len = numbers.length;

Each array has a length property which returns the number of elements in the array.

for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {

    System.out.println(numbers[i]);
}

We traverse the array and print the data to the console.

$ java Main.java
3
2
1
5
6

Java wrapper classes

Wrapper classes are object representations of primitive data types. Wrapper classes are used to represent primitive values when an Object is required. For example, Java collections only work with objects. They cannot take primitive types. Wrapper classes also include some useful methods. For example, they include methods for doing data type conversions. Placing primitive types into wrapper classes is called boxing. The reverse process is called unboxing.

As a general rule, we use wrapper classes when we have some reason for it. Otherwise, we use primitive types. Wrapper classes are immutable. Once they are created, they cannot be changed. Primitive types are faster than boxed types. In scientific computing and other large scale number processing, wrapper classes may cause significant performance hit.

Primitive type	Wrapper class	Constructor arguments
byte	Byte	byte or String
short	Short	short or String
int	Integer	int or String
long	Long	long or String
float	Float	float, double or String
double	Double	double or String
char	Character	char
boolean	Boolean	boolean or String

Table: Primitive types and their wrapper class equivalents

The Integer class wraps a value of the primitive type int in an object. It contains constants and methods useful when dealing with an int.

Main.java

void main() {

    int a = 55;
    Integer b = Integer.valueOf(a);

    int c = b.intValue();
    float d = b.floatValue();

    String bin = Integer.toBinaryString(a);
    String hex = Integer.toHexString(a);
    String oct = Integer.toOctalString(a);

    System.out.println(a);
    System.out.println(b);
    System.out.println(c);
    System.out.println(d);

    System.out.println(bin);
    System.out.println(hex);
    System.out.println(oct);
}

This example works with the Integer wrapper class.

int a = 55;

This line creates an integer primitive data type.

Integer b = Integer.valueOf(a);

An Integer wrapper class is created from the primitive int type.

int c = b.intValue();
float d = b.floatValue();

The intValue method converts the Integer to int. Likewise, the floatValue returns a float data type.

String bin = Integer.toBinaryString(a);
String hex = Integer.toHexString(a);
String oct = Integer.toOctalString(a);

These three methods return a binary, hexadecimal, and octal representation of the integer.

$ java Main.java
55
55
55
55.0
110111
37
67

Collections are powerful tools for working with groups of objects. Primitive data types cannot be placed into Java collections. After we box the primitive values, we can put them into collections.

Main.java

import java.util.List;

void main() {

    List<Number> ls = new ArrayList<>();

    ls.add(1342341);
    ls.add(Float.valueOf(34.56f));
    ls.add(235.242);
    ls.add(Byte.valueOf("102"));
    ls.add(Short.valueOf("1245"));

    for (Number n : ls) {

        System.out.println(n.getClass());
        System.out.println(n);
    }
}

In the example, we put various numbers into an ArrayList. An ArrayList is a dynamic, resizable array.

List<Number> ls = new ArrayList<>();

An ArrayList instance is created. In angle brackets we specify the type that the container will hold. The Number is an abstract base class for all five numeric primitive types in Java.

ls.add(1342341);
ls.add(Float.valueOf(34.56f));
ls.add(235.242);
ls.add(Byte.valueOf("102"));
ls.add(Short.valueOf("1245"));

We add five numbers to the collection. Notice that the integer and the double value are not boxed; this is because for integer and double types the compiler performs autoboxing.

for (Number n : ls) {

    System.out.println(n.getClass());
    System.out.println(n);
}

We iterate through the container and print the class name and its value of each of the elements.

$ java Main.java
class java.lang.Integer
1342341
class java.lang.Float
34.56
class java.lang.Double
235.242
class java.lang.Byte
102
class java.lang.Short
1245

The com.zetcode.Numbers program gives this output. Note that the two numbers were automatically boxed by the compiler.

Java boxing

Converting from primitive types to object types is called boxing. Unboxing is the opposite operation. It is converting of object types back into primitive types.

Main.java

void main() {

    long a = 124235L;

    Long b = Long.valueOf(a);
    long c = b.longValue();

    System.out.println(c);
}

In the code example, we box a long value into a Long object and vice versa.

Long b = Long.valueOf(a);

This line performs boxing.

long c = b.longValue();

In this line we do unboxing.

Java autoboxing

Java 5 introduced autoboxing. Autoboxing is automatic conversion between primitive types and their corresponding object wrapper classes. Autoboxing makes programming easier. The programmer does not need to do the conversions manually.

Automatic boxing and unboxing is performed when one value is primitive type and other is wrapper class in:

assignments
passing parameters to methods
returning values from methods
comparison operations
arithmetic operations

Integer i = new Integer(50);

if (i < 100) {
   ...
}

Inside the square brackets of the if expression, an Integer is compared with an int. The Integer object is transformed into the primitive int type and compared with the 100 value. Automatic unboxing is done.

Main.java

int cube(int x) {

    return x * x * x;
}

void main() {

    Integer i = 10;
    int j = i;

    System.out.println(i);
    System.out.println(j);

    Integer a = cube(i);
    System.out.println(a);
}

Automatic boxing and automatic unboxing is demonstrated in this code example.

Integer i = 10;

The Java compiler performs automatic boxing in this code line. An int value is boxed into the Integer type.

int j = i;

Here an automatic unboxing takes place.

Integer a = cube(i);

When we pass an Integer to the cube method, automatic unboxing is done. When we return the computed value, automatic boxing is performed, because an int is transformed back to the Integer.

Java language does not support operator overloading. When we apply arithmetic operations on wrapper classes, automatic boxing is done by the compiler.

Main.java

void main() {

    Integer a = Integer.valueOf(5);
    Integer b = Integer.valueOf(7);

    Integer add = a + b;
    Integer mul = a * b;

    System.out.println(add);
    System.out.println(mul);
}

We have two Integer values. We perform addition and multiplication operations on these two values.

Integer add = a + b;
Integer mul = a * b;

Unlike languages like Ruby, C#, Python, D or C++, Java does not have operator overloading implemented. In these two lines, the compiler calls the intValue methods and converts the wrapper classes to ints and later wraps the outcome back to an Integer by calling the valueOf method.

Java autoboxing and object interning

Object intering is storing only one copy of each distinct object. The object must be immutable. The distinct objects are stored in an intern pool. In Java, when primitive values are boxed into a wrapper object, certain values (any boolean, any byte, any char from 0 to 127, and any short or int between -128 and 127) are interned, and any two boxing conversions of one of these values are guaranteed to result in the same object.

According to the Java language specification, these are minimal ranges. So the behaviour is implementation dependent. Object intering saves time and space. Objects obtained from literals, autoboxing and Integer.valueOf are interned objects while those constructed with new operator are always distinct objects.

The object intering has some important consequences when comparing wrapper classes. The == operator compares reference identity of objects while the equals method compares values.

Main.java

void main() {

    Integer a = 5; // Integer.valueOf(5);
    Integer b = 5; // Integer.valueOf(5);

    System.out.println(a == b);
    System.out.println(a.equals(b));
    System.out.println(a.compareTo(b));

    Integer c = 155;
    Integer d = 155;

    System.out.println(c == d);
    System.out.println(c.equals(d));
    System.out.println(c.compareTo(d));
}

The example compares some Integer objects.

Integer a = 5; // Integer.valueOf(5);
Integer b = 5; // Integer.valueOf(5);

Two integers are boxed into Integer wrapper classes.

System.out.println(a == b);
System.out.println(a.equals(b));
System.out.println(a.compareTo(b));

Three different ways are used to compare the values. The == operator compares the reference identity of two boxed types. Because of the object interning, the operation results in true.

If we used the new operator, two distinct objects would be created and the == operator would return false. The equals method compares the two Integer objects numerically. It returns a boolean true or false (a true in our case.)

Finally, the compareTo method also compares the two objects numerically. It returns the value 0 if this Integer is equal to the argument Integer; a value less than 0 if this Integer is numerically less than the argument Integer; and a value greater than 0 if this Integer is numerically greater than the argument Integer.

Integer c = 155;
Integer d = 155;

We have another two boxed types. However, these values are greater than the maximum value interned (127); therefore, two distinct objects are created. This time the == operator yields false.

$ java Main.java
true
true
0
false
true
0

Java null type

Java has a special null type. The type has no name. As a consequence, it is impossible to declare a variable of the null type or to cast to the null type. The null represents a null reference, one that does not refer to any object. The null is the default value of reference-type variables. Primitive types cannot be assigned a null literal.

In different contexts, the null means an absence of an object, an unknown value, or an uninitialized state.

Main.java

import java.util.Random;

String getName() {

    Random r = new Random();
    boolean n = r.nextBoolean();

    if (n == true) {

        return "John";
    } else {

        return null;
    }
}

void main() {

    String name = getName();
    System.out.println(name);
    System.out.println(null == null);

    if ("John".equals(name)) {

        System.out.println("His name is John");
    }
}

We work with the null value in the program.

String getName() {

    Random r = new Random();
    boolean n = r.nextBoolean();

    if (n == true) {

        return "John";
    } else {

        return null;
    }
}

In the getName method we simulate a situation that a method can sometimes return a null value.

System.out.println(null == null);

We compare a two null values. The expression returns true.

if ("John".equals(name)) {

    System.out.println("His name is John");
}

We compare the name variable to the "John" string. Notice that we call the equals method on the "John" string. This is because if the name variable equals to null, calling the method would lead to NullPointerException.

$ java Main.java
null
true
$ java Main.java
null
true
$ java Main.java
John
true
His name is John

Java default values

Uninitialized fields are given default values by the compiler. Final fields and local variables must be initialized by developers.

The following table shows the default values for different types.

Data type	Default value
byte	0
char	'\u0000'
short	0
int	0
long	0L
float	0f
double	0d
Object	null
boolean	false

Table: Default values for uninitialized instance variables

The next example will print the default values of the uninitialized instance variables. An instance variable is a variable defined in a class for which each instantiated object of the class has a separate copy.

Main.java

byte b;
char c;
short s;
int i;
float f;
double d;
String str;
Object o;

void main() {

    System.out.println(b);
    System.out.println(c);
    System.out.println(s);
    System.out.println(i);
    System.out.println(f);
    System.out.println(d);
    System.out.println(str);
    System.out.println(o);
}

In the example, we declare eight member fields. They are not initialized. The compiler will set a default value for each of the fields.

byte b;
char c;
short s;
int i;
...

These are instance variables; they are declared outside any method.

$ java Main.java
0

0
0
0.0
0.0
null
null

Java type conversions

We often work with multiple data types at once. Converting one data type to another one is a common job in programming. The term type conversion refers to changing of an entity of one data type into another. In this section, we deal with conversions of primitive data types. Reference type conversions will be mentioned later in this chapter. The rules for conversions are complex; they are specified in chapter 5 of the Java language specification.

There are two types of conversions: implicit and explicit. Implicit type conversion, also known as coercion, is an automatic type conversion by the compiler. In explicit conversion the programmer directly specifies the converting type inside a pair of round brackets. Explicit conversion is called type casting.

Conversions happen in different contexts: assignments, expressions, or method invocations.

int x = 456;
long y = 34523L;
float z = 3.455f;
double w = 6354.3425d;

In these four assignments, no conversion takes place. Each of the variables is assigned a literal of the expected type.

int x = 345;
long y = x;

float m = 22.3354f;
double n = m;

In this code two conversions are performed by Java compiler implicitly. Assigning a variable of a smaller type to a variable of a larger type is legal. The conversion is considered safe, as no precision is lost. This kind of conversion is called implicit widening conversion.

long x = 345;
int y = (int) x;

double m = 22.3354d;
float n = (float) m;

Assigning variables of larger type to smaller type is not legal in Java. Even if the values themselves fit into the range of the smaller type. In this case it is possible to loose precision. To allow such assignments, we have to use the type casting operation. This way the programmer says that he is doing it on purpose and that he is aware of the fact that there might be some precision lost. This kind of conversion is called explicit narrowing conversion.

byte a = 123;
short b = 23532;

In this case, we deal with a specific type of assignment conversion. 123 and 23532 are integer literals, the a, b variables are of byte and short type. It is possible to use the casting operation, but it is not required. The literals can be represented in their variables on the left side of the assignment. We deal with implicit narrowing conversion.

byte calc(byte x) {
...
}
byte b = calc((byte) 5);

The above rule only applies to assignments. When we pass an integer literal to a method that expects a byte, we have to perform the casting operation.

Java numeric promotions

Numeric promotion is a specific type of an implicit type conversion. It takes place in arithmetic expressions. Numeric promotions are used to convert the operands of a numeric operator to a common type so that an operation can be performed.

int x = 3;
double y = 2.5;
double z = x + y;

In the third line we have an addition expression. The x operand is int, the y operand is double. The compiler converts the integer to double value and adds the two numbers. The result is a double. It is a case of implicit widening primitive conversion.

byte a = 120;
a = a + 1; // compilation error

This code leads to a compile time error. In the right side of the second line, we have a byte variable a and an integer literal 1. The variable is converted to integer and the values are added. The result is an integer. Later, the compiler tries to assign the value to the a variable. Assigning larger types to smaller types is not possible without an explicit cast operator. Therefore we receive a compile time error.

byte a = 120;
a = (byte) (a + 1);

This code does compile. Note the usage of round brackets for the a + 1 expression. The (byte) casting operator has a higher precedence than the addition operator. If we want to apply the casting on the whole expression, we have to use round brackets.

byte a = 120;
a += 5;

Compound operators perform implicit conversions automatically.

short r = 21;
short s = (short) -r;

Applying the + or - unary operator on a variable a unary numberic promotion is performed. The short type is promoted to int type. Therefore we must use the casting operator for the assignment to pass.

byte u = 100;
byte v = u++;

In case of the unary increment ++, decrement -- operators, no conversion is done. The casting is not necessary.

Java boxing, unboxing conversions

Boxing conversion converts expressions of primitive type to corresponding expressions of wrapper type. Unboxing conversion converts expressions of wrapper type to corresponding expressions of primitive type. Conversions from boolean to Boolean or from byte to Byte are examples of boxing conversions. The reverse conversions, e.g. from Boolean to boolean or from Byte to byte are examples of unboxing conversions.

Byte b = 124;
byte c = b;

In the first code line, automatic boxing conversion is performed by the Java compiler. In the second line, an unboxing conversion is done.

String checkAge(Short age) {
...
}
String r = checkAge((short) 5);

Here we have boxing conversion in the context of a method invocation. We pass a short type to the method which expects a Short wrapper type. The value is boxed.

Boolean gameOver = new Boolean("true");

if (gameOver) {
    System.out.println("The game is over");
}

This is an example of an unboxing conversion. Inside the if expression, the booleanValue method is called. The method returns the value of a Boolean object as a boolean primitive.

Object reference conversion

Objects, interfaces, and arrays are reference data types. Any reference can be cast to the Object. Object type determines which method is used at runtime. Reference type determines which overloaded method will be used at compile time.

An interface type may only be converted to an interface type or to Object. If the new type is an interface, it must be a super interface of the old type. A class type may be converted to a class type or to an interface type. If converting to a class type, the new type must be a super class of the old type. If converting to an interface type, the old class must implement the interface. An array may be converted to the class Object, to the interface Cloneable or Serializable, or to an array.

There are two types of reference variable casting: downcasting and upcasting. Upcasting (generalization or widening) is casting from a child type to a parent type. We are casting an individual type to a common type. Downcasting (specialization or narrowing) is casting from a parent type to a child type. We are casting a common type to an individual type.

Upcasting narrows the list of methods and properties available to an object, and downcasting can extend it. Upcasting is safe, but downcasting involves a type check and can throw a ClassCastException.

Main.java

import java.util.Random;

class Animal {}
class Mammal extends Animal {}
class Dog extends Animal {}
class Cat extends Animal {}

void main() {

    // upcasting
    Animal animal = new Dog();
    System.out.println(animal);

    // ClassCastException
    // Mammal mammal = (Mammal) new Animal();

    var returned = getRandomAnimal();

    if (returned instanceof Cat cat) {

        System.out.println(cat);
    } else if (returned instanceof Dog dog) {

        System.out.println(dog);
    } else if (returned instanceof Mammal mammal) {

        System.out.println(mammal);
    } else {

        System.out.println(returned);
    }
}

Animal getRandomAnimal() {

    int val = new Random().nextInt(4) + 1;

    Animal anim = switch (val) {

        case 2 -> new Mammal();
        case 3 -> new Dog();
        case 4 -> new Cat();
        default -> new Animal();
    };

    return anim;
}

The example performs reference type conversions.

// upcasting
Animal animal = new Dog();
System.out.println(animal);

We cast from a child type Dog to a parent type Animal. This is upcasting and it is always safe.

// ClassCastException
// Mammal mammal = (Mammal) new Animal();

Downcasting from an Animal to a Mammal leads to a ClassCastException.

var returned = getRandomAnimal();

if (returned instanceof Cat cat) {

    System.out.println(cat);
} else if (returned instanceof Dog dog) {

    System.out.println(dog);
} else if (returned instanceof Mammal mammal) {

    System.out.println(mammal);
} else {

    System.out.println(returned);
}

In order to perform legal downcasting, we need to check the type of the object with the instanceof operator first.

Animal getRandomAnimal() {

    int val = new Random().nextInt(4) + 1;

    Animal anim = switch (val) {

        case 2 -> new Mammal();
        case 3 -> new Dog();
        case 4 -> new Cat();
        default -> new Animal();
    };

    return anim;
}

The getRandomAnimal returns a random animal using Java's swith expression.

Java string conversions

Performing string conversions between numbers and strings is very common in programming. The casting operation is not allowed because the strings and primitive types are fundamentally different types. There are several methods for doing string conversions. There is also an automatic string conversion for the + operator.

More about string conversions will be covered in the Strings chapter of this tutorial.

String s = (String) 15; // compilation error
int i = (int) "25"; // compilation error

It is not possible to cast between numbers and strings. Instead, we have various methods for doing conversion between numbers and strings.

short age = Short.parseShort("35");
int salary = Integer.parseInt("2400");
float height = Float.parseFloat("172.34");
double weight = Double.parseDouble("55.6");

The parse methods of the wrapper classes convert strings to primitive types.

Short age = Short.valueOf("35");
Integer salary = Integer.valueOf("2400");
Float height = Float.valueOf("172.34");
Double weight = Double.valueOf("55.6");

The valueOf method returns the wrapper classes from primitive types.

int age = 17;
double weight = 55.3;
String v1 = String.valueOf(age);
String v2 = String.valueOf(weight);

The String class has a valueOf method for converting various types to strings.

Automatic string conversions take place when using the + operator and one operator is a string, the other operator is not a string. The non-string operand to the + is converted to a string.

Main.java

void main() {

    String name = "Jane";
    short age = 17;

    System.out.println(name + " is " +  age + " years old.\n");
}

In the example, we have a String data type and a short data type. The two types are concatenated using the + operator into a sentence.

System.out.println(name + " is " +  age + " years old.");

In the expression, the age variable is converted to a String type.

$ java Main.java
Jane is 17 years old.

Source

Java language basics - tutorial

In this article we have covered data types in Java.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar and I am a passionate programmer with many years of programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. So far, I have written over 1400 articles and 8 e-books. I have over eight years of experience in teaching programming.

List all Java tutorials.

Ebooks

Java data type

Boolean values

Integers

Arithmetic overflow

Floating point numbers

Enumerations

Strings and chars

Arrays

Java wrapper classes

Java boxing

Java autoboxing

Java autoboxing and object interning

Java null type

Java default values

Java type conversions

Java numeric promotions

Java boxing, unboxing conversions

Object reference conversion

Java string conversions

Source

Author