What are the valid characters for a Java method name?

kon picture kon · Apr 18, 2012 · Viewed 20k times · Source

I read about the naming of Java variables. It says that Java variables cannot start with any numbers and special characters except for $ and _.

Some valid examples:

int count;
int _count;
int $count;

And some invalid examples:

int %count;
int 4count;
int #count;

Do the same rules apply to method names?

Answer

rid picture rid · Apr 18, 2012

Yes, method names and variable names are what's called "identifiers". Identifiers all share the same rules regarding accepted characters. Take a look at §3.8 from the Java Language Specification to find out exactly what an identifier may contain, and §6.2 for an explanation about how identifiers are used.