Java byte Keyword

The keyword 'byte' in Java is a primitive data type that represents an integer with 8-bit sign. It can store integer values in the range of -128 to 127. The 'byte' type is usually used when it is necessary to save memory space or to read and write binary files.

Here is an example of how to declare and use a variable of type 'byte' in Java:

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Declares a variable of type byte
    byte b = 100;

    //  Prints the value of the variable
    System.out.println(b);  // Prints: 100

    // Changes the value of the variable
    b = -50;

    // Prints the new value of the variable
    System.out.println(b);  // Prints: -50
  }
}

Note that you must use the suffix 'b' or 'B' to indicate that an entire constant is of type 'byte', such as in '(byte) 100b' or '(byte) 0B11111111'. Otherwise, the constant is considered of type 'int' and may generate a build error if the value is greater than the allowed range for type 'byte'.

Type 'byte' is a primitive data type, which means that it is not a class and has no methods. However, Java provides a wrapper class called 'Byte' that allows you to treat byte-type values as objects and access methods to perform operations such as conversion to other data types and comparison. For instance:

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Converts an integer value to a Byte object
    Byte b = Byte.valueOf((byte) 100);

    // Comms two Byte objects
    boolean equal = b.equals(Byte.valueOf((byte) 100));  // equal is true
    int comparison = b.compareTo(Byte.valueOf((byte) 50));  // comparison is 1
  }
}