Java - comma operator outside for loop declaration

Question

I know I can use the comma operator like this

for (int i = 1, j = 15; j>10; i++, j--) {
    // do something neat
}

but some articles seem to suggest that the comma operator can be used outside of the for loop declaration, for example

int j = 2, k = 4 ;
int x ;
// Assignment statement with comma operator
x = j + 1, k ;

source: http://www.cs.umd.edu/~clin/MoreJava/ControlFlow/comma.html

or

int x = (expression) ? (i++,2) : 3;

source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/12047433/1084813

This would be a neat trick for a code obfuscation contest or to confuse my colleagues, but neither of the examples will compile (Java 1.6, Eclipse Juno), the error is "The left-hand side of an assignment must be a variable". I tried looking at the compiler settings to see whether it could be forbidden to prevent bad code, but without luck.

What's wrong? Was the comma operator a part of an older specification which later changed? Are the people that wrote those examples using a different Java setup that allows this?

The JLS says: Unlike C and C++, the Java programming language has no comma operator. — Jesper
– Jesper, Commented Sep 26, 2012 at 12:24
"or to confuse my colleagues". Most people try to make their code MORE readable, not less. — Shawn D.
– Shawn D., Commented Sep 26, 2012 at 12:26
Its incorrect syntax, also why would you want to confuse your collegues? The code will become legacy soon enough without extra obfuscation efforts. — dngfng
– dngfng, Commented Sep 26, 2012 at 12:26
Confuse only for fun, of course, not to be used in serious code. The compiler says that "The left-hand side of an assignment must be a variable" — JohnEye
– JohnEye, Commented Sep 26, 2012 at 12:30

18446744073709551615 · Accepted Answer · 2018-04-18 14:41:27Z

14

https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-15.html#jls-15.27

15.27. Expression

<...>

Unlike C and C++, the Java programming language has no comma operator.

edited Apr 18, 2018 at 14:41

answered Dec 10, 2013 at 5:23

18446744073709551615

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2 Comments

Quazi Irfan Over a year ago

Java has comma separator. Source : JLS

Ilaya Raja S Over a year ago

@iamcreasy java doesnt have a comma operator its only a seperator. In your source its given that its a seperator and not an operator. There's a difference.

Chris Huang-Leaver · Accepted Answer · 2016-02-28 08:10:30Z

8

What's wrong?

Some of the tricks which work in C don't work in Java.

Was the comma operator a part of an older specification which later changed?

This never worked in Java AFAIK.

Are the people that wrote those examples using a different Java setup that allows this?

Its a common mistake to assume Java is just like C or C++ because it is similar. A good portion of coding mistakes on SO are due to people trying to write C++ in Java and getting confused when it doesn't do what they expect.

BTW: I have made the same mistake assuming C++ is just like Java as my knowledge of C++ is not current.

However some tricks which working Java but perhaps not C.

You can use all currency symbols or which there are a few which look at most the same.

e.g.

if( ⁀ ‿ ⁀ == ⁀ ⁔ ⁀ || ¢ + ￠== ₡)

You can use character which are invisible and c couple which reverse the order the rest of the line when printed. ;)

This program compiles and runs and prints all the odd characters you can use in Java identifiers

for (char c⁯‮h = 0; c⁯‮h < Character.MAX_VALUE; c⁯‮h++)
    if (Character.isJavaIdentifierPart(c⁯‮h) && !Character.isJavaIdentifierStart(c⁯‮h))
        System.out.printf("%04x <%s>%n", (int) c⁯‮h, "" + c⁯‮h);

which makes its almost too easy.

http://vanillajava.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/uses-for-special-characters-in-java-code.html

http://vanillajava.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/hidden-code.html

edited Feb 28, 2016 at 8:10

Chris Huang-Leaver

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answered Sep 26, 2012 at 12:28

Peter Lawrey

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7 Comments

Peter Lawrey Over a year ago

"This would be a neat trick for a code obfuscation contest or to confuse my colleagues,"

Peter Lawrey Over a year ago

"Some of the trick which work in C don't work in Java." Not sure there is much more you can say.

JohnEye Over a year ago

The first example was taken from an article about Java and the second one was found under a Java related question on SO! This is not just some C code that I'm trying to make work in Java.

Peter Lawrey Over a year ago

@JohnEye Hopefully that is a better attempt at answering your questions.

Quazi Irfan Over a year ago

@PeterLawrey If I search using the term "connecting character" on JLS nothing shows up. Where did you find these information?

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