What Is a Java Thread and How to Use It

Using Java is one of the essential skills for programmers today. That coding framework is still on the top, so learning it is compulsory in lots of colleges and even high schools. We do know how tough it could be to do programming homework, and we can cope with it easily for you. Yet, giving you some useful information about Java can also be a good idea. Let’s explain in brief one of the principles that are essential for learning Java. We talk about Java threads that help to maintain simultaneous processes in the code.

Exploring Java Threads in Brief

Foremost, let’s determine what are threads in Java. This term refers to the path the program follows when running. In general, there is at least one thread your programming code has for its performance. Yet, Java threading function is not limited just to this. To comprehend it better, we should understand that modern programs are tailored to perform more than one process at once. Making an example, just look at your Chrome browser if you use it. You have several tabs open at once and for each of them, the program runs a separate process that is a thread.

So in brief, a thread is a part of code that is responsible for running a separate process in the program. These processes don’t interfere to each other as their running is performed concurrently. This allows a programmer to set priorities to each thread. As the intention of each thread is to run processes independently without interruption of the main program code running.

Besides, we should mention the matter of a Virtual Address. Each thread gets if from the OS and this address is used by a certain thread only maintaining its processes and working performance. The operating system, on the other hand, is responsible for how the process’s virtual space is mapped onto physical memory.

How to Use Java Thread

To understand better what is a thread in Java, let’s make some examples. First, theoretically, and then, in practice. For this, you should understand that Java threads are not processes, as-is. They can be better called low-levelled APIs that are ruled by JVM and OS.

Besides the main intention of a thread to lead the process by a certain path programmed by a programmer, we should also mention that one of the main definitions for what is a thread in Java is highly connected with the principle of simultaneity.

Just imagine that you need from your program to execute several processes at once. For example, you have your User Interface thread running, and you need to download some data at once. These processes won’t be held one after others. Yet the UI thread may start with a delay to allow downloading before not to put higher load on the whole program. In addition, it can stop the thread from downloading the file if the Cancel button has been pressed.

Most often, such multithreading is in demand in the development of interfaces. That is, front-end development will always be relevant. Multithreading is indispensable when it is necessary that the graphical interface continues to respond to user actions while some information processing is being performed. One of the best and the most evident examples of multi-thread use is the gaming industry. No need to say that games have complex and sometimes even heavy-loaded code. Multi-thread approach is a solution as in games, different threads can be responsible for working with the network, animation, physics calculation, etc. But of course, the use of Java threads is not limited to interface development or game development.

Main Examples of Java Thread’s Use

The simplest Java thread example can be made when you want to launch a new thread in the program. For this, you can create an object of the thread class in Java by using the interface that contains the method run(). This helps to transmit to the object something that may implement the interface Runnable. The interface will be executed in a new thread that will be finished when its method run() will expire. Do not forget that you have also the main thread that is run by the main() method. As a result, after calling the mSecondThread.start() method, the main thread continues its execution without waiting for the thread it spawned to finish. And those instructions that come after calling the start() method will be executed in parallel with the instructions of the mSecondThread thread.

Making Conclusions

Getting a Java thread tutorial as the basis of your successful homework is a must. But you should also make some experiments to prove you understand the sense of threads correctly and can implement them successfully for the multithreading process in your code in Java.

We can claim there are several rules you can adhere to get the essence of Java threads correctly.

• Do not neglect your programming class. The knowledge you get there is priceless. Trying to understand things that you’ve missed can be hard.
• Do your Java class assignments right after you get them. While your skills and knowledge are fresh, you can cope with the task easily.
• Do not be shy to ask your tutor about going into detail with your assignment if you do not understand it 100%.
• Get inspired by other programmers’ code samples. This doesn’t mean you should copy-paste their code samples, but taking ideas from them could be great.
• Testing is a must to ensure your threads in Java work right. Without testing, you can make mistakes that can be crucial for the whole workability of your program.
• Receive help from professionals! It is not cheating if you get skills and extra tips from specialists who work with the Java framework daily. With Java programming help, you can get the help you need for all types of Java assignments from the elementary level up to non-trivial tasks.

We hope that your experience in studying Java will be happy and successful. Understanding Java threads is a part of that process, so we hope that article will be useful for you.