Thread: Beginner in Java, something occured which I can't explain.

Hello, I am very basic to Java. I was programming when something strange occured, I have isolated the problem so that you need to read as little as possible.
First a short code, where there is nothing wrong, but shows the essence of what I am trying to do.

class Assign2 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
	int val;
	int[] test = new int[20];
	if (1>0) {
	    val = 9;}
	test[val] = 25;
    }
}

I initialize an index called val, but I don't give the index a value uintil the if/else runs. But as you can see the array test[9] gets value 25 the program runs without problems.
Now look at another code:

class Assign {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
	int [] row = new int[10];
	for (int i = 0; i < 1; i++) {
	    int index;
	    //int index = 10000;
	    for (int j = 0; j < 1; j++) {
		if (1 > 0){
		    index = 5;}
	    }
	    row[index] = 8;
 
	}
    }
}

Please note that the for-loops only run once, but I still have them there, because the problem occured when I was working with a double for-loop. In the first for loop I initialize the index but I do not give it a value. In the second for loop there is an if test which allways is true, now there I give the index a value, then we go back to the first foor loop, and use the index in the array. Here comes the tricky part: This program gives an error when I try to compile it:

Assign.java:11: error: variable index might not have been initialized
row[index] = 8;

However if I give the index a value 1000(I comment it our in the code I gave you //). The program runs fine. Why does one case work, and the other case does not work?

Thanks guys, it makes very much sense now.

Since I have your attention I would like to ask you some general questions about this topic aswell, I hope you can spare the time.
I have only programmed a little in Python before, so comparing which errors come in java when we compile vs. when we run is very interesting. Can we roughly say that the compiler in java handles syntax-errors and also checks that every variable we use be initialized with a value, here it is very strict as we saw. While run-errors can handle errors like illegal values(out of range etc.?) Or said in another way, if you get a run-error you have made a mathematical mistake, or you may have programmed something which you didn't intend?