compilation error: identifier expected

Question

import java.io.*;

public class details
{
    BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
    System.out.println("What is your name?");
    String name = in.readLine(); ;
    System.out.println("Hello " + name);
}

my problem with this code is that i get " identifier expected " when compiling.. can anyone help me on what to do? or better, can anyone provide the code that would use BufferedReader to prompt the name, address, and age then finally would display the output..

thanks!!

Answer 1

You have not defined a method around your code.

import java.io.*;

public class details
{
    public static void main( String[] args )
    {
        BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        System.out.println("What is your name?");
        String name = in.readLine(); ;
        System.out.println("Hello " + name);
    }
}

In this case, I have assumed that you want your code to be executed in the main method of the class. It is, of course, possible that this code goes in any other method.

Answer 2

You must to wrap your following code into a block (Either method or static).

BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
System.out.println("What is your name?");
String name = in.readLine(); ;
System.out.println("Hello " + name);

Without a block you can only declare variables and more than that assign them a value in single statement.

For method main() will be best choice for now:

public class details {
    public static void main(String[] args){
        BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        System.out.println("What is your name?");
        String name = in.readLine(); ;
        System.out.println("Hello " + name);
    }
}

or If you want to use static block then...

public class details {
    static {
        BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        System.out.println("What is your name?");
        String name = in.readLine(); ;
        System.out.println("Hello " + name);
    }
}

or if you want to build another method then..

public class details {
    public static void main(String[] args){
        myMethod();
    }
    private static void myMethod(){
        BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        System.out.println("What is your name?");
        String name = in.readLine(); ;
        System.out.println("Hello " + name);
    }
}

Also worry about exception due to BufferedReader .

Answer 3

You also will have to catch or throw the IOException. See below. Not always the best way, but it will get you a result:

public class details {
    public static void main( String[] args) throws IOException {
        BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        System.out.println("What is your name?");
        String name = in.readLine(); ;
        System.out.println("Hello " + name);
    }
}

Answer 4

only variable/object declaration statement are written outside of method

public class details{
    public static void main(String arg[]){
        BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        System.out.println("What is your name?");
        String name = in.readLine(); ;
        System.out.println("Hello " + name);
    }
}

here is example try to learn java book and see the syntax then try to develop the program