Question

How can you explain very well, to a beginner, the meaning of String args[] and the use of static in the following excerpt?

class FirstApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ...
    }
}

Answer 1

I would point a beginner to the Wiki article on the Main function, then supplement it with this.

• Java only starts running a program with the specific public static void main(String[] args) signature, and one can think of a signature like their own name – it’s how Java can tell the difference between someone else’s main() and the one true main().

• String[] args is a collection of Strings, separated by a space, which can be typed into the program on the terminal. More times than not, the beginner isn’t going to use this variable, but it’s always there just in case.