help

[Leon Peeters]

Can anyone tell me why the following code can not be
compiled?
public class Base {
System.out.println( "We hit infinity!");
}
Compile error:Type expected.
Would you explain this for me? Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

I guess that's 'coz you need to have methods enclosing all the statements. You do not have a main method in your code. statements can be placed in either constructors, initializers, methods etc.
Hope this helps!
~Kavitha

[Ankur Gupta]

Have you tried compiling this -
public class Base
{
{
System.out.println( "We hit infinity!");
}
}
I am quoting from the JLS -
Class Body and Member Declarations
A class body may contain declarations of members of the class, that is, fields (�8.3) and methods (�8.4). A class body may also
contain static initializers (�8.5) and declarations of constructors (�8.6) for the class.
ClassBody:
{ ClassBodyDeclarationsopt }
ClassBodyDeclarations:
ClassBodyDeclaration
ClassBodyDeclarations ClassBodyDeclaration
ClassBodyDeclaration:
ClassMemberDeclaration
StaticInitializer
ConstructorDeclaration
ClassMemberDeclaration:
FieldDeclaration
MethodDeclaration
The scope of the name of a member declared in or inherited by a class type is the entire body of the class type declaration.
You can have a look at http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/html/8.doc.html#15372

[This message has been edited by Ankur (edited July 03, 2000).]

[Leon Peeters]

Appreciate for your comments, Kavitha and Ankur!

[Shafeeq Sheikh]

Guys.....
i could compile leon's code correctly..... no compiler error...
???

[Anonymous]

For me also it is giving compilation error
" Type expected".

[Pavel Kazakov]

Hi,
Try this :
public class Base{
static{
System.out.println("Hello");
}
}
It compiles, prints Hello , and says that main(String[]) not defined.
;-)