Java main method

Question

In a overloaded main method why the main method with signature String[] args is considered as the entry point.

e.g.

public class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("why this is being printed");
    }

    public static void main(String arg1) {
        System.out.println("why is this not being printed");
    }

    public static void main(String arg1, String arg2) {
        System.out.println("why is this not being printed"); 
    }
}

Because that's the just way Java works.

Kevin Anderson
– Kevin Anderson

2017-09-12 01:29:38 +00:00
Commented Sep 12, 2017 at 1:29 — Kevin Anderson
– Kevin Anderson, Commented Sep 12, 2017 at 1:29

jrtapsell · Accepted Answer · 2017-09-12 09:31:40Z

2

The main method should have only 1 argument, of type String[] so the single string and 2 string forms are not valid main methods, and as such are not options, the only accepted forms are:

public static void main (String[])
public static void main (String...)

The second option is syntactic sugar for the first option.

This is set in the Java Language Specifications:

12.1. Java Virtual Machine Startup

The Java Virtual Machine starts execution by invoking the method main of some specified class, passing it a single argument, which is an array of strings...

Link

edited Sep 12, 2017 at 9:31

answered Sep 11, 2017 at 22:43

jrtapsell

7,0491 gold badge30 silver badges50 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

Comments

Witold Kaczurba · Accepted Answer · 2017-09-12 10:21:29Z

0

This is the way Java works and Java documentation describes that;

Signatures other than specified will simply not work as they do not comply with the standard.

The java command starts a Java application. It does this by starting the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), loading the specified class, and calling that class's main() method. The method must be declared public and static, it must not return any value, and it must accept a String array as a parameter. The method declaration has the following form:

public static void main(String[] args)

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/tools/windows/java.html

answered Sep 12, 2017 at 10:21

Witold Kaczurba

10.6k3 gold badges66 silver badges70 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Java main method

2 Answers 2

Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

2 Answers 2

Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related