Scope can be defined as the accessibility of a variable.
Say for example, in every office, there is a restricted area where only a few people have access.
Similarly, in Java, the variables also have some access restrictions. The variables that are defined inside a Method, cannot be accessed outside of it.
public class MyApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
myMethod();
System.out.println(x);
}
static void myMethod() {
int x = 5;
}
}
So, in the first line itself, the Method myMethod() is called.
myMethod();
And the function execution begins.
static void myMethod()
{
int x = 5;
}And initialised the variable x with 5 inside the function myMethod().
int x = 5;
Then we come to the print statement,
System.out.println(x);
And end up with an error as output,
This is because the variable x is not accessable outside the Method. And that is called as Local Scope.
The variables that are declared inside a Method, can only be accessed inside the Method and is local to that Method. That is called the Local Scope of a variable.
Say for example, if there are two functions, firstMethod() and secondMethod().
public class MyApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
firstMethod();
secondMethod();
}
static void firstMethod() {
int x = 5;
System.out.println("The variable x : "+x+" is not accesible outside the firstMethod()");
}
static void secondMethod() {
int y = 7;
System.out.println("The variable y : "+y+" is not accesible outside the secondMethod()");
}
}
So, we have declared two functions, firstMethod(),
static void firstMethod()
{
int x = 5;
System.out.println("The variable x : "+x+" is not accesible outside the firstMethod()");
}And secondMethod().
static void secondMethod()
{
int y = 7;
System.out.println("The variable y : "+y+" is not accesible outside the secondMethod()");
}And we have two variables, x and y.
While x is declared inside the Method firstMethod() and is local to the firstMethod() and cannot be accessed outside it.
Similarly, y is declared inside the Method secondMethod() and is local to the secondMethod() and cannot be accessed outside it.