Java Term of the Week: Expression

This week's term goes hand in hand with the operators that have been the focus of the past few weeks. Expressions are essential building blocks of any Java program. They are built using values, variables, operators and method calls.

In terms of the syntax of the Java language, an expression is akin to a clause in the English language. A clause portrays a specific meaning. With the right punctuation it can sometimes stand on its own or more often than not become part of a sentence. Similarly, an expression in Java evaluates to a single value. Some expressions can make statements by themselves (by adding a semicolon on the end) but more commonly make up part of a statement.