Java Comments – What They Are and How to Use Them

In Java, comments are essential for making your code more readable and understandable. They can also be used to prevent specific parts of your code from running, which is especially useful when you’re testing or trying out alternative code.

🖋️ Single-Line Comments

Single-line comments in Java start with two forward slashes (//). Everything after // on that line is ignored by Java, meaning it won't affect the program execution.

For example:

// This is a commentSystem.out.println("Hello World");

In this case, the comment provides an explanation before the line of code.

You can also place a comment at the end of a line of code:

System.out.println("Hello World"); // This is a comment

📚 Multi-Line Comments

Multi-line comments are used when you need to explain more complex parts of your code. They start with /* and end with */.

For example:

java

/* The code below will print the words Hello World to the screen, and it is amazing */ System.out.println("Hello World");

Everything between /* and */ is considered a comment and will be ignored by Java.

🔄 Single-Line vs Multi-Line Comments

Which type should you use?It depends on the situation! Here's a quick guideline:

📌 Single-line comments (//) are great for short explanations or marking sections in your code.

📌 Multi-line comments (/* */) are better when you need to explain more complex logic or provide detailed explanations.

🧩 Tips for Writing Good Comments

• Keep comments concise and relevant.

• Use comments to explain why something is done, not what is done. The code itself should explain the "what."

• Avoid over-commenting; too many comments can make the code harder to read.

📍 Summary Box

Comment Type	Usage	Example
Single-line	Short explanations	// This is a comment
Multi-line	Longer, detailed explanations	/* This is a multi-line comment */

🚀 Next Steps

Now that you’ve learned about comments, you're ready to explore more Java concepts!

Here’s what’s coming next:

• Java Variables

• Java Data Types

• Java Strings

• Java Operators

• Java Conditional Statements

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