First Program in java

A Java program is a collection of one or more java classes. A Java source file can contain more than one class definition and has a .java extension. Each class definition in a source file is compiled into a separate class file. The name of this compiled file is comprised of the name of the class with .class as an extension. Before we proceed further in this section, I would recommend you to go through the ‘Basic Language Elements’.
Below is a java sample code for the traditional Hello World program. Basically, the idea behind this Hello World program is to learn how to create a program, compile and run it. To create your java source code you can use any editor( Text pad/Edit plus are my favorites) or you can use an IDE like Eclipse.
/** Comment
 * Displays "Hello World!" to the standard output.
 */
class HelloWorld 
{

  public static void main (String args[]) 
  {

    System.out.println("Hello World!");
  }
 
}

To compile Java code, we need to use the 'javac' tool. From a command line, the command to compile this program is:

'javac HelloWorld.java' and then run: 'java Hello'.

Output
Hello World!

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
I created a class named “HelloWorld” containing a simple main function within it. The keyword class specifies that we are defining a class. The name of a public class is spelled exactly as the name of the file (Case Sensitive). All java programs begin execution with the method named main(). main method that gets executed has the following signature : public static void main(String args[]).Declaring this method as public means that it is accessible from outside the class so that the JVM can find it when it looks for the program to start it. It is necessary that the method is declared with return type void (i.e. no arguments are returned from the method). The main method contains a String argument array that can contain the command line arguments. The brackets { and } mark the beginning and ending of the class. The program contains a line ‘System.out.println(”Hello World”);’ that tells the computer to print out on one line of text namely ‘Hello World’. The semi-colon ‘;’ ends the line of code. The double slashes ‘//’ are used for comments that can be used to describe what a source code is doing. Everything to the right of the slashes on the same line does not get compiled, as they are simply the comments in a program.
Java Main method Declarations
class MainExample1 {public static void main(String[] args) {}}
class MainExample2 {public static void main(String []args) {}}
class MainExample3 {public static void main(String args[]) {}}
All the 3 valid main method’s shown above accepts a single String array argument.

Compiling and Running an Application

To compile and run the program you need the JDK distributed by Sun Microsystems. The JDK contains documentation, examples, installation instructions, class libraries and packages, and tools. Download an editor like Textpad/EditPlus to type your code. You must save your source code with a .java extension. The name of the file must be the name of the public class contained in the file.
Steps for Saving, compiling and Running a Java
Step 1:Save the program With .java Extension.
Step 2:Compile the file from DOS prompt by typing javac .
Step 3:Successful Compilation, results in creation of .class containing byte code
Step 4:Execute the file by typing java