Naming identifiers
An identifier in any language is simply the name we assign to a variable, class, or method. We will first focus on naming variables, and in Chapter 5, Language Fundamentals – Classes, we will look at naming classes and methods.
There are very few rules in Java related to naming identifiers, but for those that are, the compiler enforces them. These are as follows:
- The first character of an identifier can be one of the following:
- Dollar sign (
$) - Underscore (
_) - Alpha character (
A–Z,a–z)
- Dollar sign (
- Subsequent characters can be any of the previously mentioned ones and numbers.
Once you adhere to the rules, the choice of naming is up to you. This is because Java has conventions for naming. A convention is not a rule, and the compiler does not validate them. Instead, conventions are techniques the programming community recommends for a given language. While working in a team, your fellow members expect you to follow these conventions. Here...