Java error in Greenfoot: ';' expected

Error reference

Java error in Greenfoot: ';' expected

This page is part of Intro to Java with Greenfoot. It assumes you have reached lesson 1.2. Opening it is not counted against you and is not tracked as progress.

The message

';' expected

What it actually means

A statement was not finished off. Java reached the end of what looked like an instruction and found no semicolon.

The usual causes

Ranked by how often each one turns out to be the answer. Work down the list.

  1. A missing semicolon at the end of the line ABOVE the one the error points at.
  2. A missing closing parenthesis, which makes Java read the rest of the line as part of the call.
  3. A stray word left over from an edit.

How to fix it

Look at the line ABOVE the one Java names. Java reports the point where it noticed, not the point where you slipped. Add the missing semicolon there, or close the parenthesis you left open.

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