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Java

Santiago Serrano
Santiago Serrano
2,754 Points
Posted by Santiago Serrano
Santiago Serrano
2,754 Points

Do variables declared inside a method get deleted after the method ends executing?

Hi, when Craig made the dispense() method, he declared the variable "boolean wasDispensed = false;" inside of it. That made me think that probably variables get deleted after a method ends executing, since:

  1. It would be useless to keep storing variables that can't be used later on (since the scope of the method ended, and outside this scope they can't be used).
  2. The variable would be declared twice when the method is run again if it didn't delete itself after the previous iteration of the method, and this would end up in a compilation error, which didn't happen.

I would love if someone could confirm if my theories are correct, if I'm forgetting something ,or not understanding how things work. Thanks in advance!

(The link for the video in which Craig declares the variable is: https://teamtreehouse.com/library/incrementing-and-decrementing, anyways, I don't think it's necessary to watch it to understand my question).

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,248 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,248 Points

Variables are disposed (the technical term) when they go out of scope. This is a function of the "garbage collection" mechanism.