# Java: Console Input-Output (pre Java 5)

You can also read from the console, altho this requires a bit of extra code to get everything working.

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    // introductory/ConsoleInputOutput.java
    // Michael Maus, 28 August 2004
    // Write to and read from the console.

    import java.io.*;

    public class ConsoleInputOutput {

        public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
            String name;                // Declare a variable to hold the name.

            BufferedReader bufReader;   // Declare a BufferedReader variable.
            bufReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));

            System.out.println("What's your name, Earthling?");
            name = bufReader.readLine();   // Read one line from the console.
            System.out.println("Take me to your leader, " + name);

            System.exit(0);  // Not necessary, but commonly used.
        }
    }

Line 5 `import java.io.*`
  You need to specify that you're using classes from teh java.io library.
Line 9 - Pass errors to caller.
  To make this program simpler, we're not going to handle any errors that might occur when reading input. If we don't handle this type of error (`IOException`), we have to say that we might give it (throw it) to the method that called up.
Lines 12-13
  Declare and initilize a `BufferedReader`.
Line 17
  Use the reader's `readLine()` method to get the next input line.