Java Tutorial for Python Programmers

Comments

Unlike Python, Java has two different types of comments: inline (similar to Python comments) and block comments.

Inline Comments

Java uses // to indicate the start of an inline comment, which works exactly the same as # in Python. Everything after the two slashes is ignored by Java:

        age = 5; //age of the gorilla in years
        

Block Comments

Sometimes it's convenient to have a comment that spans more than one line. Instead of adding // to the beginning of each line, add /* before the first line and */ after the end of the last line:

        /* The next five lines sort all the apes, then either:
           - removes the biggest ape if there are more than seven, or
           - adds two apes if there are enough bananas. */
        

Block comments can be very useful to temporarily "comment out" code that you are considering deleting. They can also be used to temporarily comment out a piece of a line of code:

        age = 2 * otherAge /* + 1 */; //TODO: need to offset by 1?