The Assignment Operator
An Introduction with Examples in Java
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Prof. David Bernstein
James Madison University
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Computer Science Department |
bernstdh@jmu.edu |
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Review
-
Variable:
- A named space for holding data/information
- The name is often referred to as the identifier
-
Literal:
- A representation of a datum
Review (cont.)
- Operator:
- A symbol indicating that an
operation is to be performed (on one or more
operands)
- Expression:
- A combination of variables, operators,
and literals that represent a single value
- Statement:
- The smallest syntactically valid construct that conveys a complete
command
Java vs. Python - Important Differences
- Statements:
- In Python, statements are terminated with the
end-of-line character
- In Java, statements are terminated with a
;
character
- White Space:
- In Python, white space is signficant
- In Java, extra white space is insignificant (e.g., the
statement ends with the
;
, wherever it is,
even on another line)
- Comments:
- In Python, everything after a
#
is an
in-line comment
- In Java, everything after a
//
is an
in-line comments and everything between a /*
and
a */
is a block comment
Assignment
- The Operation:
- Placing a value into the memory identified by a
variable/constant
- The Operator (in Java):
- Operands:
- The assignment operator is a binary operator; the left-side
operand is a variable/constant and the right-side operand is
a literal or an expression (i.e., something that evaluates to
a value)
- An Important Detail (in Java):
- The assignment operation evaluates to the value of the
right-side operand (so, is an expression)
Assignment of Primitive and Reference Types
- Atomic/Primitive/Fundamental Types:
- The value of the right-side operand is assigned to the
left-side operand
- Reference Types:
- The address of the right-side operand is assigned to the
left-side operand
Assignment in Java
- Example Expressions (Assuming the Variables Have Been Declared):
-
age = 21
-
initial = 'H'
-
ok = false
-
course = "CS159"
- Example Statements (Assuming the Variables Have Been Declared):
-
age = 21;
-
initial = 'H';
-
ok = false;
-
course = "CS159";
Assignment in Java (cont.)
- Some Observations:
- A variable can only contain one value at a time
- A variable can only contain a value of the same type
- A Java Example:
Assignment in Java (cont.)
- A Common Confusion:
- Confusing the assignment operator with the notion of
"equality"
- A Result of this Confusion:
- Attempting to use expressions like
21 = age
(which has an inappropriate left-side operand)
A Practice to Avoid
- An Example:
- Why it Should be Avoided:
An Interesting Issue
- A Question:
- In the previous example, which assignment is
performed first?
- The General Concept:
-
Associativity - determines whether (in the
absence of other determinants) an expression is
evaluated from left to right or right to left
- Associativity of the Assignment Operator in Java:
- The assignment operator has right to left associativity,
so
i = j = 5
is equivalent to
i = (j = 5)
Type Checking During Assignment
- Strong Type Checking:
- Ensuring that the type of
the right-side operand is the same as the type of the
left-side operand
-
Conversion in Java:
- Java does not allow implicit losses of precision
- Java does allow widenings (though you should refrain from
using them)
- An Example:
Type Checking During Assignment (cont.)
Why Typecasting Should be Used Sparingly:
- Loss of precision
- Possible loss of magnitude
- Possible change of sign
The final
Modifier in Java
- Purpose:
- Indicate that a value can only be assigned to a
variable once
- Syntax:
- final type
variable [, variable]... ;
- Examples:
-
final boolean CORRECT;
-
final double BUDGET;
-
final int CAPACITY;
The final
Modifier in Java (cont.)
- Name/Identifier Restrictions:
- Same as for other variables
- Course Style Guide Requirements:
- Must be all uppercase
- Underscores between "words" improve readability
- Compile-Time Errors:
- An error will be generated if an identifier that is
declared to be
final
is the left-side
operand of more than one assignment operator
- A Common Convention:
- Include the assignment in the declaration