Programming Articles

Do local variables in Java have default values?

Ali

Updated on 30-Jul-2019 1K+ Views

No, local variables do not have default values. Once we create a local variable we must initialize it before using it. Since the local variables in Java are stored in stack in JVM there is a chance of getting the previous value as default value. Therefore, In Java default values for local variables are not allowed. Example public class Sample { public static void main(String args[] ){ int data; System.out.println(data); } } Error C:\Sample>javac Sample.java Sample.java:4: error: variable data might not have been initialized System.out.println(data); ^ 1 error