Java Fundamentals by Adrianamm · Pull Request #18 · frcsoftware/frcsoftware.org

Adrianamm · 2026-05-12T02:57:48Z

Added explanations for

Syntax
Variables
Print Statement
Comments
No exercises yet

works but has pages that aren't needed...but it works

EdanThomton

Looks good, mostly spelling mistakes and clarity rewrites.

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:40:00Z

+## Variables 
+Variables are containers that are used to store information in a program. This could be a variable that holds the temperature or a variable that holds the speed of the motor. 
+
+The syntax of a variable is has following:


is has

small typo here
IMO "is" is the correct word here

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:41:53Z

+Datatype name = value;
+```
+Data types refer to the type of value that our variable has. It helps tell our program more information about our variables such as what type of information it holds and how it can be used. 
+Data types can include numbers, characters or a string of words. Some examples of data types that are commonly used in FRC programming are:


Some examples of data types

for clarity this might be better as "Some example data types"

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:42:25Z

+Data types refer to the type of value that our variable has. It helps tell our program more information about our variables such as what type of information it holds and how it can be used. 
+Data types can include numbers, characters or a string of words. Some examples of data types that are commonly used in FRC programming are:
+* Int: integers or numbers that are positive or negative. Int only allows numbers without decimals. Example: 12
+* Double: Double: numbers that are positive or negative. Unlike int, double allows numbers with or without decimals. Example: 34.1


Double: Double:

double is repeated twice here

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:44:41Z

+* Double: Double: numbers that are positive or negative. Unlike int, double allows numbers with or without decimals. Example: 34.1
+* Boolean: either True or False.
+* String: holds a sequence of characters. Example: “Hello World”
+* Char: holds a Single character. Example: 'A'


Single

small capitalization thing

also on the topic of capitalization, are we talking about the primitive types here, or the wrapper objects? This is a bit pedantic for a beginner level course, but int and Int are technically two separate things

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:45:48Z

+```
+Data types refer to the type of value that our variable has. It helps tell our program more information about our variables such as what type of information it holds and how it can be used. 
+Data types can include numbers, characters or a string of words. Some examples of data types that are commonly used in FRC programming are:
+* Int: integers or numbers that are positive or negative. Int only allows numbers without decimals. Example: 12


integers or numbers

small rewrite for clarity: "Integer numbers"

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:54:03Z

+
+## Comments
+When programming, we use comments to write notes that explain what the code does. This helps make the code more readable for others because if they are unsure of what your code does, they can read your comments. Comments are not run by the compiler, which also means that you can use comments to prevent code from running. 
+In Java, there are two types of comments. Single-line Comments and Multi-line Comments.


some clarity things:

"Comments are not run by the compiler" could probably be changed to "Comments are ignored by the compiler"

"Multi-line" does not need to be capitalized

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:55:54Z

+In Java, there are two types of comments. Single-line Comments and Multi-line Comments.
+
+### Single-line Comments
+Single-line comments are // and you add them to the front of your text or line of code. For example, the code below leaves a note of “this prints out Hello World. 


For clarity, I'd probably rewrite this line to something like:

Single line comments begin with // and mark the rest of the line as being a comment. For example, the code below leave the note: "This prints out Hello World."

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:56:39Z

+// This prints Hello World
+System.out.print("Hello World");
+```
+You will also see comments placed at the end of code like the following


For clarity pt2: I'd replace "at the end of code" with "at the end of a line"

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:57:36Z

+```java
+System.out.print("Hello World"); // This prints Hello World
+```
+Both examples accomplish the same tasks and there is no difference. If you put your comments above or next to code is up to you and what makes the most sense for your code. 


For clarity pt3: in "If you put your comments above or next to code is up to you", the starting "if" should be replaced with "whether"

EdanThomton · 2026-05-17T17:59:41Z

+Both examples accomplish the same tasks and there is no difference. If you put your comments above or next to code is up to you and what makes the most sense for your code. 
+
+### Multi-line Comments
+Multi-line Comments start with /* and end with */ The text or code that is in between the two will turn into comments. Multi-line Comments are commonly used when you have many lines of text or need to turn a large amount of code into a comment. 


I'd make sure to add codeblocks `` around any in-line code (`/*`, `*/`). Also make sure to escape * as this is markdown, and *phrase* means italics

Although in codeblocks you don't need to escape *

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:05:08Z

+```
+Data types refer to the type of value that our variable has. It helps tell our program more information about our variables such as what type of information it holds and how it can be used. 
+Data types can include numbers, characters or a string of words. Some examples of data types that are commonly used in FRC programming are:
+* Int: integers or numbers that are positive or negative. Int only allows numbers without decimals. Example: 12


Int is not a java type; there is int and there is Integer but there is no Int

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:05:54Z

+
+The name of your variable can be whatever you want. However, it should be easy to read and make sense to others who may be reading your code. 
+There are also some rules with variable names. The name of the variable can not include spaces. Instead you can write variables with camel case (frontLeftDrive) and snake case (front_Left_Drive).
+Variable names can not start with a number. However, they can have a number at the end of the name. 


They can have a number at any point in the identifier other than the first character (not just the end).

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:12:54Z

+Java is a case-sensitive programming language! This means that uppercase and lowercase letters are treated as being two different things. For example: MotorID is different from motorID. Even though it’s spelled the same, if your variable name is MotorID then you try to reference it again but spell it as motorID, Java will see the two as different, and your code will get an error. 
+</Aside>
+
+In Java, semi-colons (;) are similar to a period in a sentence. It is what tells the compiler when a line of code ends. Semi-colons are used commonly in programming and aren’t only for creating variables. We will see more examples of this later in the course. 


Suggested change

In Java, semi-colons (;) are similar to a period in a sentence. It is what tells the compiler when a line of code ends. Semi-colons are used commonly in programming and aren’t only for creating variables. We will see more examples of this later in the course.

In Java, semi-colons (;) are similar to a period in a sentence. It is what tells the compiler when a statement ends. Semi-colons are used commonly in programming and aren’t only for creating variables. We will see more examples of this later in the course.

I think this makes it clearer that if you do something like

int someVariable = someVeryLongMethodNameThatDoesntFitOnTheOriginalLine(argument1, longArgument);

you only need one ;. Statements themselves (as well as expressions) should be covered at some point, perhaps at the end of this lesson.

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:13:19Z

+
+## Comments
+When programming, we use comments to write notes that explain what the code does. This helps make the code more readable for others because if they are unsure of what your code does, they can read your comments. Comments are not run by the compiler, which also means that you can use comments to prevent code from running. 
+In Java, there are two types of comments. Single-line Comments and Multi-line Comments.


Suggested change

In Java, there are two types of comments. Single-line Comments and Multi-line Comments.

In Java, there are two types of comments: single-line comments and multi-line comments.

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:13:36Z

+Both examples accomplish the same tasks and there is no difference. If you put your comments above or next to code is up to you and what makes the most sense for your code. 
+
+### Multi-line Comments
+Multi-line Comments start with /* and end with */ The text or code that is in between the two will turn into comments. Multi-line Comments are commonly used when you have many lines of text or need to turn a large amount of code into a comment. 


Suggested change

Multi-line Comments start with /* and end with */ The text or code that is in between the two will turn into comments. Multi-line Comments are commonly used when you have many lines of text or need to turn a large amount of code into a comment.

Multi-line Comments start with `/*` and end with `*/` The text or code that is in between the two will turn into comments. Multi-line Comments are commonly used when you have many lines of text or need to turn a large amount of code into a comment.

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:16:49Z

+next: intro-to-java/java-fundamentals
+---
+
+Learning the basics of Java is the most important step in learning FRC programming because it builds the foundation. In Java, objects are used to create motor 


This paragraph makes little sense, especially because readers at this stage probably have very little understanding of words like object and variable in this context.

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:18:31Z

+In Java, there are two types of comments. Single-line Comments and Multi-line Comments.
+
+### Single-line Comments
+Single-line comments are // and you add them to the front of your text or line of code. For example, the code below leaves a note of “this prints out Hello World. 


Suggested change

Single-line comments are // and you add them to the front of your text or line of code. For example, the code below leaves a note of “this prints out Hello World.

Single-line comments begin with `//` and you add them to the front of your text or line of code. For example, the code below leaves a note of “This prints out Hello World" above the print statement.

zachwaffle4 · 2026-05-17T18:19:19Z

+## Variables 
+Variables are containers that are used to store information in a program. This could be a variable that holds the temperature or a variable that holds the speed of the motor. 
+
+The syntax of a variable is has following:


Suggested change

The syntax of a variable is has following:

Variable declarations have the following syntax:

DylanB5402 · 2026-05-17T20:41:55Z

+
+The syntax of a variable is has following:
+```java
+Datatype name = value;


Might be out of scope for this section (maybe better to specify it in the section on Objects?), but might be worth noting that any Class can be used as a datatype, not just primitives (int, double, etc)

Adrianamm added 3 commits May 7, 2026 20:50

It works

d1691be

works but has pages that aren't needed...but it works

page name updated

317c982

Moved topics and added topic

ad12e51

Adrianamm linked an issue May 12, 2026 that may be closed by this pull request

FRC Software Stage 0 #16

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EdanThomton requested changes May 17, 2026

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zachwaffle4 suggested changes May 17, 2026

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DylanB5402 reviewed May 17, 2026

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	In Java, semi-colons (;) are similar to a period in a sentence. It is what tells the compiler when a line of code ends. Semi-colons are used commonly in programming and aren’t only for creating variables. We will see more examples of this later in the course.
	In Java, semi-colons (;) are similar to a period in a sentence. It is what tells the compiler when a statement ends. Semi-colons are used commonly in programming and aren’t only for creating variables. We will see more examples of this later in the course.

	In Java, there are two types of comments. Single-line Comments and Multi-line Comments.
	In Java, there are two types of comments: single-line comments and multi-line comments.

	Multi-line Comments start with /* and end with */ The text or code that is in between the two will turn into comments. Multi-line Comments are commonly used when you have many lines of text or need to turn a large amount of code into a comment.
	Multi-line Comments start with `/` and end with `/` The text or code that is in between the two will turn into comments. Multi-line Comments are commonly used when you have many lines of text or need to turn a large amount of code into a comment.

	Single-line comments are // and you add them to the front of your text or line of code. For example, the code below leaves a note of “this prints out Hello World.
	Single-line comments begin with `//` and you add them to the front of your text or line of code. For example, the code below leaves a note of “This prints out Hello World" above the print statement.

	The syntax of a variable is has following:
	Variable declarations have the following syntax:

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