Array or ArrayList

[Amit Chohan]

What are the main differences between an Array and an ArrayList?
Thanks

[Phil Lesh]

As seen in java api [documentation] about ArrayList: "Resizable-array implementation of the List interface. Implements all optional list operations, and permits all
elements, including null. In addition to implementing the List interface, this class provides methods to
manipulate the size of the array that is used internally to store the list. (This class is roughly equivalent to
Vector, except that it is unsynchronized.)"
To find out more, go here http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/api/ and in the left hand column select the class you want to find more about, i.e. ArrayList.
Hope this helps.
Phil

[Bert Bates]

Amit and Phil -
Maybe in more human terms:
1) ArrayLists are growable
2) ArrayLists can hold heterogeneous objects (mix and match)
3) Most of the 'modern' collections have stopped imbedding synchronized methods - not having them is no biggie -
4) ArrayLists have cool built-in methods that arrays wish they had:
- isEmpty
- contains
- clear
- remove
these methods make ArrayLists a lot easier and more fun to deal with than arrays.
-Bert
p.s. Phil - given my signoff it's inevitable...
you didn't used to play in a band in the S.F. area did you