Background

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Java

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Java Punctuation

Separators are Java's punctuation. Just as periods, semicolons, question marks, pairs of parenthesis, and other punctuation add structure to written text, Java separators help the Java compiler interpret components of Java source code.

( and )

pairs of parenthesis surround:

arguments for a method in a method invocation
method parameters and their type in a method declaration
parts/pieces of an expression for the purposes of controling evaluation order or simply for clarity
the mechanics of a for statement (the initialization, test, and update pieces)
the test part of an if statement
the test part of a while statement

[ and ]

pairs of square brackets surround array indicies.

{ and }

pairs of squiggly brackets surround a few things:

the body of a class
the body of a method
a block of statements to treated as a unit
sets of literals for array initialization

;

a semicolon terminates:

statements
expression lists, e.g. the mechanics of a for statement (the initialization, test, and update pieces)
field declarations

,

a comma is used to separate items in sets/lists:

type and identifier pairs in parameter lists
litterals in an array initialization

.

a period is used to:

separate pieces (identifiers) of a name, e.g. an object identifier and a field identifier or an object identifier and method identifier
separate the whole number part from the fractional number part of a floating-point literal; it is the decimal point