Several others have gratiously provided answers but I\'mnot sure they\'re comple

Question

Several others have gratiously provided answers but I'mnot sure they're completely answering the question.

Is there a limit to how many variables can be held in the localvariable array? What happens when this number is exceeded?

Thanks


The Java bytecode for access to the local variablearray for a class is at most two bytes long. One byte is used forthe opcode; the other indicates the offset into the array.How many variables can be held in the localvariable array? What do you think happens when this number isexceeded? Several others have gratiously provided answers but I'mnot sure they're completely answering the question.

Is there a limit to how many variables can be held in the localvariable array? What happens when this number is exceeded?

Thanks


The Java bytecode for access to the local variablearray for a class is at most two bytes long. One byte is used forthe opcode; the other indicates the offset into the array.How many variables can be held in the localvariable array? What do you think happens when this number isexceeded?

Explanation / Answer

Each frame contains an array of variables known as its localvariables. The length of the local variable array of a frameis determined at compile time and supplied in the binaryrepresentation of a class or interface along with the code for themethod associated with the frame.

A single local variable can hold a value of type boolean, byte,char, short, int, float, reference, or returnAddress. A pair oflocal variables can hold a value of type long or double.

Local variables are addressed by indexing. The index ofthe first local variable is zero. An integer is be considered to bean index into the local variable array if and only if that integeris between zero and one less than the size of the local variablearray.

A value of type long or type double occupies two consecutivelocal variables. Such a value may only be addressed using thelesser index. For example, a value of type double stored in thelocal variable array at index n actually occupies thelocal variables with indices n and n +1; however,the local variable at index n +1 cannot be loaded from. Itcan be stored into. However, doing so invalidates the contents oflocal variable n.

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