syntax-week3
Java Syntax
week 3

To call a function: “object - dot - functionName - openParen - arguments”.
(Note that when calling a method from inside another method, the object you are asking the question is often yourself: “this”.)
To declare a function (its signature): “returnType - functionName - openParen - parameterTypeAndNames”.

Week 3's syntax includes all the syntax everything we covered in week 2, plus boolean, if-else, if-else-if.

class-declaration ::=
class name_Class {
method-declaration…
}
type ::= int | double | boolean | String
method-declaration ::=
type_return name ( parameter-declaration-list ) {
local-variable...;
return expression;
}
parameter-declaration-list ::= empty-list | non-empty-parameter-declaration-list
non-empty-parameter-declaration-list ::= parameter-declaration [, non-empty-parameter-declaration-list]
parameter-declaration ::= type name_param
local-variable ::=
local-variable-declaration
local-variable-initialization
local-variable-declaration ::= type name;
local-variable-initialization ::= name = expression;
statement ::= return-statement | local-variable-declaration | local-variable-initialization | if_else-statement | if_else_if-statement |

if_else-statement ::=
if (expression_boolean) {
  statement...
  }
else {
  statement...
  }

if_else_if-statement ::= if_else-statement |
if (expression_boolean) {
statement...
}
else if_else_if-statement

return-statement ::= return expression;
expression ::=
literal-value | name_variable | method-call | ( expression ) |
expression+expression | expression-expression | expression*expression | expression/expression
expression_boolean && expression_boolean | expression_boolean || expression_boolean | !expression_boolean
method-call ::= expression_object . name_method ( argument-list )
argument-list ::= empty-list | non-empty-argument-list
empty-list ::=
non-empty-argument-list ::= expression [, non-empty-argument-list]

colored text is replaced with a particular instance of that type. (Subscripts are informative only, and don't technically mean anything.)
uncolored text is typed in literally (not replaced with something else).
“::=” means “consists of”.
“|” means “or”
“[bracket-optional-part]” can be included, or be omitted.
“...” means zero or more repetitions of the preceding item.

This grammar is not for Java, but for the Java I teach in class. Not only does it simplify full Java, but it also intentionally precludes (for a while) if-without-else, block-statements, declaring a variable without initializing it immediately afterwards, etc..
The above grammar is not meant to be minimal, but rather understandable. For instance, if-else could be omitted (it's a special case of if-else-if), and yet I include both (and I don't factor them agressively).

syntax-week3Java Syntaxweek 3