getclass() vs .class

Question

Possible Duplicate:
What’s the difference between calling MyClass.class and MyClass.getClass()

Wanting to have a Class<T> object, Which is the difference between these two approaches?

Test ob = new Test();

ob.getclass();

or

Test.class

Duplicate: [http://stackoverflow.com/q/2467970/1225328](http://stackoverflow.com/q/2467970/1225328) — sp00m, Nov 13 '12 at 19:15

kosa · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-13T19:21:27.573

7

As per Class javadoc

First approach get Class object from Object.

second approach get Class object for a named type (or for void) using a class literal.

edited Nov 13 '12 at 19:21

answered Nov 13 '12 at 19:14

kosa

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I think it is called as class literal notation. Read this http://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-15.html#jls-15.8.2 – kosa Nov 13 '12 at 19:19
5

Besides the link, your answer really doesn't explain much. – Paul Bellora Nov 13 '12 at 19:19
@PaulBellora: Edited to add some content, apart from that I am not sure what else I could add, If you have anything to add, feel free to edit my answer. – kosa Nov 13 '12 at 19:24
Void is special type in java. – kosa Nov 13 '12 at 19:41
2

@jacktrades In addition to reference types (including arrays), there are also class literals for each primitive and `void`. These are useful for reflection, for example [`Method.getReturnType()`](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/lang/reflect/Method.html#getReturnType\(\)) for methods that return primitives or void. – Paul Bellora Nov 13 '12 at 19:42
1

@jacktrades: See this discussion http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2352447/what-is-the-need-of-void-class-in-java – kosa Nov 13 '12 at 19:46
Well, `Void` (capitalized) serves a different purpose from `void.class` (which `Void.TYPE` points to). But yeah, that's a good discussion about it. – Paul Bellora Nov 13 '12 at 19:54

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 13 '12 at 19:17

The getClass() method is defined in java.lang.Object and hence can be called on any object reference.

It gets the Class object associated with the run-time type of the object to which the reference points. .

The getClass() method is not really analogous to .class at all. Closer is Class.forName(String), which gets a Class object for the class named by the String.

In situations where either could be used, use .class , as it is more efficient.

getclass() vs .class

2 Answers2