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Android Build a Simple Android App (retired 2014) Getting Started with Android Java Variables Explained

Posted by Zoe Wolf
Zoe Wolf
61 Points

I can't do Challenge task 1 of Getting Started with Andriod

OK, I've tried typing this:

favoriteColor String ; favoriteColor = "orange"; favoriteColor myName = "orange";
String = "My favourite colour is favoriteColor";

But the preview says that it can't find the 'symbol' for favoriteColor (in my case, my favourite colour is orange, just saying that in case it helps). How do I create this symbol, if I even need to?

1 Answer

Ben Rubin
PLUS
Ben Rubin
Courses Plus Student 14,658 Points
Ben Rubin
Ben Rubin
Courses Plus Student 14,658 Points

"symbol" means "variable". It can't find the variable because your declarations are not correct. You declare a variable like this:

String myVariable;           // This line creates the variable (i.e. symbol)
myVariable = "hello";       // This line assigns the variable a value

You can also do the declaration and assignment on the same line:

String myVariable = "hello";        // This line declares the variable and assigns a value to it

You can't assign a value to a variable before it is declared, nor can you declare a variable with some variable type that doesn't exist.

// This doesn't work because myVariable has to be declared either before it is given a value of at the same time as it is given a value
myVariable = "hello";
String myVariable;

// This doesn't work because someKindOfVariable isn't a valid type (valid types are String, int, float, etc.)
someKindOfVariable myVariable = "hello";

You should only have one or two lines of code for this challenge (depending on whether you assign the variable a value in the same line where you declare it).