Question

Can final variables be assigned to another variable?

final int a = 10;

Can I later assign that final varaible to another variable like:

int b = a;

Seems like java doesn’t like it when I do that, but from what I understand final variable can only be assigned once. However in my case I am not assigning variable a anything instead I am assigning variable b the value of a.

Can someone englighten me about variable that are final? I’ve researched it on various websites but can’t understand what was going on.

Answer 1

Yes, and yes. Final means the reference can’t change; the value of the referenced object can. Essentially, it is a modifier that applies to the variable name, not to the object itself. When you declare final Foo a = new Foo(); you are saying that a will always refer to the same object. This is legal:

final Foo a = new Foo();
final Foo b = a;
b.setBar(5);

This is pretty much the only thing that isn’t:

a = anotherFoo;