NAMES

Names and Identifiers

6.2

A parameter, one of the following:

N

A parameter of a method or constructor of a class ( 8.4.1,  8.6.1)

N

A parameter of an

abstract

 method of an interface ( 9.4)

N

A parameter of an exception handler declared in a

catch

 clause of a

try

statement ( 14.18)

A local variable, one of the following:

N

A local variable declared in a block ( 14.3)

N

A local variable declared in a

for

 statement ( 14.12)

Constructors ( 8.6) are also introduced by declarations, but use the name of the

class in which they are declared rather than introducing a new name.

6.2   Names and Identifiers

A

name

 is used to refer to an entity declared in a Java program.

There are two forms of names: simple names and qualified names. A

simple

name

 is a single identifier. A

qualified name

 consists of a name, a  

.

  token, and

an identifier.

In determining the meaning of a name ( 6.5), the Java language takes into

account the context in which the name appears. It distinguishes among contexts

where a name must denote (refer to) a package ( 6.5.3), a type ( 6.5.4), a variable

or value in an expression ( 6.5.5), or a method ( 6.5.6).

Not all identifiers in Java programs are a part of a name. Identifiers are also

used in the following situations:

In declarations ( 6.1), where an identifier may occur to specify the name by

which the declared entity will be known

In field access expressions ( 15.10), where an identifier occurs after a  

.

token to indicate a member of an object that is the value of an expression or

the keyword

super

 that appears before the  

.

  token

In some method invocation expressions ( 15.11), where an identifier may

occur after a  

.

  token and before a  

(

  token to indicate a method to be

invoked for an object that is the value of an expression or the keyword

super

that appears before the  

.

  token

As labels in labeled statements ( 14.6) and in

break

 ( 14.13) and

continue

( 14.14) statements that refer to statement labels

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