Java Glossary : main

Java definitions: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

You are here : home : Java Glossary : M words : main.

main

Standalone applications don't necessarily have init and start methods. They must have a public static void main routine to start things off. The main routine typically creates some object of the master class. It can't use any non-static variables or methods in the class with the implied this, since there is no this object. It typically quickly returns. Then the event loop processing starts. Even the static main method must live inside some class. There are no such thing as standalone static methods in Java. The signature of the main class must look exactly like this. Cut and paste it to be sure:

public static void main ( String[] args )
   {
   }

Most of the interesting stuff happens in a GUI app only after main has exited. The AWT or Swing thread is still alive fielding keypresses and mouse clicks. To stop the application, you need to close all the GUI Frames down or call System.exit().

In Swing you can control this with JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE.

Applet ¤ JFrame

home	Canadian Mind Products
	mindprod.com IP:[24.87.56.253]
	Your IP:[80.134.30.163]
	You are visitor number 1080.
	Please send errors, omissions and suggestions
	to improve this page to Roedy Green.
	You can get a fresh copy of this page from:	or possibly from your local J: drive mirror:
	http://mindprod.com/jgloss/main.html	J:\mindprod\jgloss\main.html