Final (Java): Difference between revisions

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==Final variables==
A '''final [[Variable (programming)|variable]]''' can only be initialized once, either via an initializer or an assignment statement. It does not need to 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 in 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.<ref>Java Language Specification #8.3.1.2.</ref> (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 object|mutable]], if it was originally mutable.)
 
Unlike the value of a [[constant (computer science)|constant]], the value of a final variable is not necessarily known at compile time. It is considered good practice to represent final constants in all uppercase, using underscore to separate words.<ref>http://geosoft.no/development/javastyle.html</ref>