Trusted answers to developer questions
How to pass by reference in Java
Educative Answers TeamOne of the biggest confusions in Java is whether it is pass by value or pass by reference.
Java is always a pass by value; but, there are a few ways to achieve pass by reference:
- Making a public member variable in a class
- Return a value and update it
- Create a single element array
Ways to create a pass by reference
1. Making a public member variable in a class:
In this method, an object of a class passes in the function and updates the public member variable of that object; ​changes are visible in the original memory address.
// my class
class my_number {
// public member variable
public int number;
// default constructor
public my_number()
{
number = 1;
}
}
// driver function
class Main{
public static void main (String [] arguments)
{
// creating object
my_number object = new my_number();
// printing before update
System.out.println("number = " + object.number);
// update function called.
update(object);
//printing after update.
System.out.println("number = " + object.number);
}
// update function.
public static void update( my_number obj ){
// increments number variable.
obj.number++;
}
}
2. Return a value and update it:
This is a simple method in which changes are returned by the function to​ update the original memory address.
// driver function
class Main{
public static void main (String [] arguments)
{
int number = 1;
// printing before update.
System.out.println("number = " + number);
// update function returns a value.
number = update(number);
// printing after update.
System.out.println("number = " + number);
}
// update function
public static int update( int number ){
// increments number.
number++;
return number;
}
}
3. Create a single element array:
In this, a single element array is created and passed as a parameter to the function; the effect is visible in the original memory address.
// driver function.
class Main{
public static void main (String [] arguments)
{
// single element array.
int number[] = { 1 };
// printing before update.
System.out.println("number = " + number[0]);
//update function.
update(number);
// printing after update.
System.out.println("number = " + number[0]);
}
// update function.
public static void update( int number[] ){
// increments the number
number[0]++;
}
}
RELATED TAGS
pass by reference
java
Copyright ©2022 Educative, Inc. All rights reserved
RELATED COURSES
View all Courses
Keep Exploring
Related Courses
