How can I pass a parameter to a Java Thread?

For Anonymous classes:

In response to question edits here is how it works for Anonymous classes

   final X parameter = ...; // the final is important
   Thread t = new Thread(new Runnable() {
       p = parameter;
       public void run() { 
         ...
       };
   t.start();

---

Named classes:

You have a class that extends Thread (or implements Runnable) and a constructor with the parameters you'd like to pass. Then, when you create the new thread, you have to pass in the arguments, and then start the thread, something like this:

Thread t = new MyThread(args...);
t.start();

Runnable is a much better solution than Thread BTW. So I'd prefer:

   public class MyRunnable implements Runnable {
      private X parameter;
      public MyRunnable(X parameter) {
         this.parameter = parameter;
      }

      public void run() {
      }
   }
   Thread t = new Thread(new MyRunnable(parameter));
   t.start();

This answer is basically the same as this similar question: How to pass parameters to a Thread object

You need to pass the parameter in the constructor to the Runnable object:

public class MyRunnable implements Runnable {

   public MyRunnable(Object parameter) {
       // store parameter for later user
   }

   public void run() {
   }
}

and invoke it thus:

Runnable r = new MyRunnable(param_value);
new Thread(r).start();