Boolean class

[putti don]

class C {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Boolean b1 = Boolean.valueOf(true);
Boolean b2 = Boolean.valueOf(true);
Boolean b3 = Boolean.valueOf("TrUe");
Boolean b4 = Boolean.valueOf("tRuE");
System.out.print((b1==b2) + ",");
System.out.print((b1.booleanValue()==b2.booleanValue()) + ",");
System.out.println(b3.equals(b4));
System.out.println(b3==b4);
}}

Answer is true,true,true,true.

My doubt is whether Boolean.valueOf(...) returns a new Boolean object? If yes, then why b1==b2 and b3==b4 are true.

Thanks.

[Barry Gaunt]

If you check the Boolean class' API you will see that there are two instances of the class Boolean that are "readymade". One is a wrapper for true and the other is a wrapper for false. One of these two instances is returned by all of the valueOf methods. That's why "b1 == b2" and "b3 == b4" are true in the example. In fact all of b1, b2, b3, b4 refer to the same wrapper object representing true.

Again referring to the API, if you really want a new Boolean instance, independent of the two readymade ones, you should use the Boolean constructor.
Boolean b5 = new Boolean(true). This results in a Boolean wrapper object such that b5 != b1 (or b2, b3, b4).

The API tells you all that and more besides.
[ September 23, 2005: Message edited by: Barry Gaunt ]