OpenJDK 9: JShell - an interactive java interpreter shell | builtin commands

One of the new features of java 9 is jshell (JEP 222).

On my ubuntu system the installation was quite easy:

# apt-get install openjdk-9-jdk-headless

and you can find

$ ls /usr/lib/jvm/java-9-openjdk-amd64/bin/
idlj       jcmd    jmap        jstatd       schemagen
jar        jdb     jmod        keytool      serialver
jarsigner  jdeps   jps         orbd         servertool
java       jhsdb   jrunscript  pack200      tnameserv
javac      jimage  jsadebugd   policytool   unpack200
javadoc    jinfo   jshell      rmic         wsgen
javah      jjs     jstack      rmid         wsimport
javap      jlink   jstat       rmiregistry  xjc

 (in the third column, sixth row: jshell)

After a startup jshell comes up with this prompt:

$ /usr/lib/jvm/java-9-openjdk-amd64/bin/jshell
|  Welcome to JShell -- Version 9-internal
|  For an introduction type: /help intro


->

 The most important command is

/exit

to leave the jshell (Strg-C works also, but i think /exit should be used).

There is no syntax highlighting but this does not matter.

The following builtin commands are allowed:

-> /help
|  Type a Java language expression, statement, or declaration.
|  Or type one of the following commands:

|     /list [all|start|]                       -- list the source you have typed
|     /edit                                    -- edit a source entry referenced by name or id
|     /drop                                    -- delete a source entry referenced by name or id
|     /save [all|history|start]                      -- Save snippet source to a file.
|     /open                                          -- open a file as source input
|     /vars                                                -- list the declared variables and their values
|     /methods                                             -- list the declared methods and their signatures
|     /classes                                             -- list the declared classes
|     /imports                                             -- list the imported items
|     /exit                                                -- exit jshell
|     /reset                                               -- reset jshell
|     /reload [restore] [quiet]                            -- reset and replay relevant history -- current or previous (restore)
|     /classpath                                     -- add a path to the classpath
|     /history                                             -- history of what you have typed
|     /help [|]                          -- get information about jshell
|     /set editor|start|feedback|newmode|prompt|format ... -- set jshell configuration information
|     /? [|]                             -- get information about jshell
|     /!                                                   -- re-run last snippet
|     /                                                -- re-run snippet by id
|     /-                                                -- re-run n-th previous snippet
| 
|  For more information type '/help' followed by the name of command or a subject.
|  For example '/help /list' or '/help intro'.  Subjects:

|     intro     -- an introduction to the jshell tool
|     shortcuts -- a description of shortcuts

With /list the source code, which you provided, is shown:

-> /list 5

   5 : class MyClass {
       private int a;
       public MyClass(){a=0;}
       int getA() {return a;};
       void setA(int var) {a=var; return;}
       }

Everytime you create an Object, you will see the following:

-> ZZ = new MyClass();
|  Variable ZZ has been assigned the value MyClass@28d25987

-> ZZ.getA();
|  Expression value is: 0
|    assigned to temporary variable $8 of type int

-> ZZ.setA(200);

-> ZZ.getA();
|  Expression value is: 200
|    assigned to temporary variable $10 of type int

With /vars the variables are shown:

-> /vars
|    MyClass ZZ = MyClass@28d25987
|    int $8 = 0
|    int $10 = 200

Listing the classes (ok it is getting boring):

-> /classes
|    class MyClass

 and last but not least /methods:

-> /methods
|    printf (String,Object...)void
|    getA ()int