Can I pass a primitive type by reference in Java?

Question

I would like to call a method which could potentially take on different versions, i.e. the same method for input parameters that are of type:

• boolean
• byte

Answer 1

Primitives are not passed by references (or objects for that matter) so no you cannot.

int i = 1;
moo(i);
public void moo(int bah)
{
   bah = 3;
}
System.out.println(i);

Prints out 1