Shadowing
index
INTERMEDIATE

If you declare a variable in a block that has the same name as a variable outside the block, the variable inside the block shadows (hides) the variable outside the block.

int x = 1;
System.out.println(x); // prints 1
{
   String x = "hello";
   System.out.println(x); // prints "hello"
}
System.out.println(x); // prints 1

Shadowing allows you to write code without having to know the names of all the other variables in the class.

It is very poor style to intentionally shadow a variable. However, it is legal, so if you accidently shadow a variable you will not get an error message.