CS Awesome - Unit 5 Vocabulary

Writing Classes

Class

A class defines a type and is used to define what all objects of that class know and can do.

Compiler

Software that translates the Java source code (ends in .java) into the Java class file (ends in .class).

Compile time error

An error that is found during the compilation. These are also called syntax errors.

Constructor

Used to initialize fields in a newly created object.

Field

A field holds data or a property - what an object knows or keeps track of.

Java

A programming language that you can use to tell a computer what to do.

Main Method

Where execution starts in a Java program.

Method

Defines behavior - what an object can do.

Object

Objects do the actual work in an object-oriented program.

Syntax Error

A syntax error is an error in the specification of the program.

class

used to define a new class

public

a visibility keyword which is used to control the classes that have access. The keyword public means the code in any class has direct access.

private

a visibility keyword which is used to control the classes that have access. The keyword private means that only the code in the current class has direct access.