website/content/blog/2017-08-28-obtaining-command-line-input-java.md

---
id: 2241
title: Obtaining Command Line Input in Java
date: 2017-08-28T17:37:59+00:00
author: Brandon Rozek
layout: post
guid: https://brandonrozek.com/?p=2241
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---
To obtain console input for your program you can use the `Scanner` class

First import the relevant library

```java
import java.util.Scanner;
```

Then create a variable to hold the `Scanner` object

```java
Scanner input;
input = new Scanner(System.in);
```

Inside the parenthesis, the `Scanner` binds to the System input which is by default the console

The new varible `input` now has the ability to obtain input from the console. To do so, use any of the following methods:

| Method         | What it Returns                                            |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `next()`       | The next space separated string from the console           |
| `nextInt()`    | An integer if it exists from the console                   |
| `nextDouble()` | A double if it exists from the console                     |
| `nextFloat()`  | A float if it exists from the console                      |
| `nextLine()`   | A string up to the next newline character from the console |
| `hasNext()`    | Returns true if there is another token                     |
| `close()`      | Unbinds the Scanner from the console                       |



Here is an example program where we get the user’s first name

```java
import java.util.Scanner;

public class GetName {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
    System.out.print("Please enter your name: ");
    String firstName = input.next();
    System.out.println("Your first name is " + firstName); 
  }
}
```