Lecture 1

CS 401: Introduction to Advanced Studies (Data Structures)
Vijay K. Gurbani, Ph.D., Illinois Institute of Technology

Lecture 1: Introduction
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
Memory layout in modern

computers
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
Java: Pass by value or pass by

reference?
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
Java: Pass by reference or value?

MyPoint p1 = new MyPoint(10, 20);
public static void swap1(MyPoint arg1, MyPoint arg2) {

MyPoint temp;
temp = arg1;
arg1 = arg2;
arg2 = temp;
}
swap1(p1, p2);
p1 = ??
p2 = ??
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu


MyPoint temp;
temp = arg1;
arg1 = arg2;
arg2 = temp;
}
swap1(p1, p2);
p1 = MyPoint[x=10,y=20]
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
References: Tracing swap1()

MyPoint p1 = new MyPoint(10,20);
x = 10
java.lang.Integer@fe9e47
p1
y = 20
java.lang.Integer@4947d3
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
java.lang.Integer@1ad4242
p2
y = 40
MyPoint@10a945c
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu

x = 10
p1
y = 20
arg1
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
p2
y = 40
arg2
MyPoint@10a945c
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu

x = 10
p1
y = 20
arg1
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
temp
p2
y = 40
arg2
MyPoint@10a945c
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu

x = 10
p1
y = 20
arg1
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
temp
p2
y = 40
arg2
MyPoint@10a945c
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu

x = 10
p1
y = 20
arg1
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
temp
p2
y = 40
arg2
MyPoint@10a945c
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
10
References
All the assignments etc. work as long as you

are in the function scope.
Once you are out of function scope, then things
don't work.
Ok, so ... let's see swap2().
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
11

Integer x, y;
x = arg1.x;
y = arg1.y;
arg1.x = arg2.x;
arg1.y = arg2.y;
arg2.x = x;
arg2.y = y;
}
swap2(p1, p2);
p1 = ??
p2 = ??
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
12

Integer x, y;
x = arg1.x;
y = arg1.y;
arg1.x = arg2.x;
arg1.y = arg2.y;
arg2.x = x;
arg2.y = y;
}
swap2(p1, p2);
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
13

x = 10
p1
y = 20
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
p2
y = 40
MyPoint@10a945c
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
14

x = 10
p1
arg1
y = 20
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
p2
arg2
y = 40
MyPoint@10a945c
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
15

x = 10
p1
arg1
y = 20
x
y
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 30
p2
arg2
y = 40
MyPoint@10a945c
x = arg1.x;
y = arg1.y;
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
16

x = 30
y = 40
p1
x
y
x = 10
y = 20
arg1
MyPoint@bc9f58
p2
arg2
MyPoint@10a945c
arg1.x = arg2.x;
arg1.y = arg2.y;
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
17

x = 30
p1
arg1
x
y
y = 40
MyPoint@bc9f58
x = 10
p2
arg2
y = 20
MyPoint@10a945c
arg2.x = x;
arg2.y = y;
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
18
So, what is the answer? Pass by

value or pass by reference?
Java is pass-by-value.
The short answer is that Java manipulates objects using references but it passes object references to
methods using the value of the object reference (which will be a memory location).
The long answer is in the Java specification, see Section 8.4.1 in [1]. I quote (emphasis is mine):
"When the method or constructor is invoked (Section 15.12), the values of the actual argument
expressions initialize newly created parameter variables, each of the declared type, before execution
of the body of the method or constructor."
And from James Gosling, the creator of Java (again, emphasis is mine):
Some people will say incorrectly that objects are passed by reference. In programming language
design, the term pass by reference properly means that when an argument is passed to a function, the
invoked function gets a reference to the original value, not a copy of its value. If the function modifies
its parameter, the value in the calling code will be changed because the argument and parameter use
the same slot in memory. The Java programming language does not pass objects by reference;
it passes object references by value. Because two copies of the same reference refer to the same
actual object, changes made through one reference variable are visible through the other. There is
exactly one parameter passing mode pass by value and that helps keep things simple.
[1] http://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-8.html#jls-8.4.1
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
19
OK, then ... explain Swap3()


MyPoint temp = new MyPoint(arg1.x, arg1.y);
arg1.x = arg2.x;
arg1.y = arg2.y;
arg2 = temp;
}
swap3(p1, p2);
p1 = ??
p2 = ??
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
20
Swap3()

MyPoint temp = new MyPoint(arg1.x, arg1.y);
arg1.x = arg2.x;
arg1.y = arg2.y;
arg2 = temp;
}
swap3(p1, p2);
Ideas on why the answer is what

comes up?
CS 401
vgurbani@iit.edu
21

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CS 401: Introduction to Advanced Studies (Data Structures)

Vijay K. Gurbani, Ph.D., Illinois Institute of Technology

Memory layout in modern

Java: Pass by value or pass by

Java: Pass by reference or value?

public static void swap1(MyPoint arg1, MyPoint arg2) {

Java: Pass by reference or value?

public static void swap1(MyPoint arg1, MyPoint arg2) {

References: Tracing swap1()

MyPoint p2 = new MyPoint(30,40);

References: Tracing swap1()

References: Tracing swap1()

References: Tracing swap1()

References: Tracing swap1()

All the assignments etc. work as long as you

Java: Pass by reference or value?

Java: Pass by reference or value?

References: Tracing swap2()

MyPoint p2 = new MyPoint(30,40);

References: Tracing swap2()

MyPoint p2 = new MyPoint(30,40);

References: Tracing swap2()

MyPoint p2 = new MyPoint(30,40);

References: Tracing swap2()

MyPoint p2 = new MyPoint(30,40);

References: Tracing swap2()

So, what is the answer? Pass by

OK, then ... explain Swap3()

public static void swap3(MyPoint arg1, MyPoint arg2) {

public static void swap3(MyPoint arg1, MyPoint arg2) {

Ideas on why the answer is what

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