Scala’s Syntax

As we embark on our learning journey, it's important to get comfortable with how Scala looks and feels. Scala is known for its elegant and concise syntax, which can be quite beginner-friendly. Let's dive into the basic syntax elements you will encounter throughout this course.

Basic Structure of Scala Programs

Scala's syntax is designed to be clean and straightforward. Here's a quick overview of what you'll commonly see:

Defining Objects and Methods

Objects: In Scala, an object is a single instance of its definition and often used to write simple programs or utilities. Think of it as a container for your code.

Main


              123
            
  object Main {
    // Code goes here
  }

Methods: Methods are like actions or tasks. The def keyword is used to define a method. For example, the main method is the starting point of a Scala application.

Main,


              123
            
  def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = {
    // Your code goes here
  }

Here, main is the method name, args: Array[String] is an array of strings (like words or sentences), and Unit means this method does not return anything.

Writing and Ending Statements

Statements: A statement is a piece of code that performs an action. In Scala, you can write statements and, most of the time, you don't need a semicolon at the end.

Main


              12
            
  val greeting = "Hello, Scala!"
  println(greeting)

Blocks: A block of code is enclosed in curly braces { ... }. It groups multiple statements together.

Main


              1234
            
  def sayHello(): Unit = {
    val message = "Hello"
    println(message)
  }

Outputting Text

To display messages or text, Scala uses println() which prints the text to the console. Text to be printed is placed inside double quotation marks " ".

Main


              12345
            
object Main {
  def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = {
    println("Welcome to Scala!")
  }
}

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Section 1. Chapter 3