Can this code be right?

[Dillinger4]

This is a code block that is posted under the docs for the java.util.Formatter class on sun's site. Ive never seen the static keyword used in an import statement and Calendar is a class, abstract, but still a class not a package so why the added .*?

// Format a string containing a date.
   import java.util.Calendar;
   import java.util.GregorianCalendar;   
   import static java.util.Calendar.*;

   Calendar c = new GregorianCalendar(1995, MAY, 23);
   String s = String.format("Duke's Birthday: %1$tm %1$te,%1$tY", c);
   // -> s == "Duke's Birthday: May 23, 1995"

[System_Error]

java 1.5 tiger added the static imports. Although I'm not sure why, unless it's just to shorten code in certain circumstances.

[CornedBee]

That's exactly what it's for. It only imports static elements. Constants and functions, I think, or perhaps only constants.

[Dillinger4]

I don't think it's right.

 import java.io.*;
 import java.text.*;  
 import static java.util.Locale.*; // dosen't work 
// import java.util.*; // works
// import java.util.Locale; // works 

 public class T{
  public static void main(String[] args){
  try{
   BufferedReader buff = new BufferedReader(
   new InputStreamReader(System.in));
    String input = buff.readLine(); 
    NumberFormat nf = NumberFormat.getInstance(Locale.CHINESE);
    Number converted = nf.parse(input);
    System.out.println(converted.shortValue()); 
   }catch(IOException io){
     System.err.println(io); 
    }catch(Exception e){
     System.err.println(e); 
    }
   }
  }

[brown monkey]

I'm thinking your editor doesn't support the syntax. I'm trying this with Eclipse 3.0 and yet it produces "Syntax error on token "stack"..." but when I do it with Textpad and compile with javac, it's ok.

[Dillinger4]

I used Notepad.

[CornedBee]

And you're sure you're compiling as 1.5?
javac -source 1.5 T.java
to be sure.

The static import construct allows unqualified access to static members without inheriting from the type containing the static members. Instead, the program imports the members, either individually:

import static java.lang.Math.PI;

or en masse:

import static java.lang.Math.*;