AP® Computer Science A glossary

final

Also called: constant

Course: AP® Computer Science A Shows up in: Unit 3: Class Creation

A keyword that makes a variable's value unchangeable once it has been set.

Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 3.7.B.3

Assigning to a final variable after it has a value is a compile-time error. Constants are usually named in capital letters, such as MAX_PLAYERS.

public class Game
{
    public static final int MAX_PLAYERS = 4;

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        System.out.println(Game.MAX_PLAYERS);
    }
}

Output:

4

Related terms

• Class variable
• Variable