Dynamically scoped variable in java ? (a.k.a one variable per method execution)

Question

hi,

I would like to know if it's possible in java to declare a variable local to the execution of the method.

For instance, if i'm doing some recursive stuff and i want to keep various counters specific to one particular execution of the method.

I don't know the correct english expression for that...

Answer 1

void method()
{
     int i = 0;  // this int is local to 'method'
}

Answer 2

This is how Java works by default. For example, in the following method:

void recursive(int i) {
  int localI = 6;
  i-= 1;
  if (i > 0) {
    recursive(i);
  }

localI will stay local to the current execution of the method.

Answer 3

I think you might be talking about static variables. if you declare a static variable it will save it's value between executions of the methods.

Answer 4

A normal, local variable inside a method is exactly what you mean. Those local variables are allocated on the stack. Each time you call the method, whether it's in a recursive manner or not, a new copy of the variable is created.