What is final in Java? Final variable, Method and Class Example


Java Final Keyword 

A java variable can be declared using the keyword final. Then the final variable can be assigned only once. 
A variable that is declared as final and not initialized is called a blank final variable. A blank final variable forces the constructors to initialise it. 
Java classes declared as final cannot be extended. Restricting inheritance! 
Methods declared as final cannot be overridden. In methods private is equal to final, but in variables it is not. 
final parameters – values of the parameters cannot be changed after initialization. Do a small java exercise to find out the implications of final parameters in method overriding. 
Java local classes can only reference local variables and parameters that are declared as final. 
A visible advantage of declaring a java variable as static final is, the compiled java class results in faster performance. 

Final variables
A final variable can only be initialized once, either via an initializer or an assignment statement. It need not be initialized at the point of declaration: this is called a "blank final" variable. A blank final instance variable of a class must be definitely assigned at the end of every constructor of the class in which it is declared; similarly, a blank final static variable must be definitely assigned in a static initializer of the class in which it is declared: otherwise, a compile-time error occurs in both cases. [4] (Note: If the variable is a reference, this means that the variable cannot be re-bound to reference another object. But the object that it references is still mutable, if it was originally mutable.)
Unlike the value of a constant, the value of a final variable is not necessarily known at compile time. 
Example:


1. /*
2. Java Final variable example
3. This Java Example shows how to declare and use final variable in
4. a java class.
5. */
6.
7. public class FinalVariableExample {
8.
9. public static void main(String[] args) {
10.
11. /*
12. * Final variables can be declared using final keyword.
13. * Once created and initialized, its value can not be changed.
14. */
15. final int hoursInDay=24;
16.
17. //This statement will not compile. Value can't be changed.
18. //hoursInDay=12;
19.
20. System.out.println("Hours in 5 days = " + hoursInDay * 5);
21.
22. }
23. }
24.
25. /*
26. Output would be
27. Hours in 5 days = 120
28. */

You can see here :- Java Final Method with Example

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1 comments:

final is a tricky keyword if used carefully it can boost performance of Java application. see here for detailed explanation of final keyword in Java

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