what syntax for getting instanceof an array?

[Chris Jones]

I want to write a conditional expression that checks if an object is an array. Can I use instanceof for this? How is the syntax? I imagine something along these lines:

// code fragment:

int[] someArray = new int[] {9,8,7};
 
if (someArray instanceof int[]){  // SYNTAX ERROR!
 
// do somehting with an int[]
 
}

but eh ... that's evidently not how things are, so what do I instead need to do to determine type of an array object?

all help much appreciated!

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Actually, your code snippet is fine (given that it appears inside a method, of course.) That's exactly the right thing to do. Maybe whatever you actually tried was a little bit different from this?

[qingwu wang]

I don't think it is a good way to solve your question. only as a referrence.
try{
String str = someArray.getClass().getName();
if(str!=null){
if(str.index("[")==0){
System.out.println("This is an array");
}
}
}catch(e){
}

[Joanne Neal]

Originally posted by Chris Jones:

int[] someArray = new int[] {9,8,7};
 
if (someArray instanceof int[]){  // SYNTAX ERROR!

If you're not worried about what type of array it is you could do

if (someArray.getClass().isArray()) {

[Jesper de Jong]

You can try something different, as qingwu and Joanne show, but still: the syntax you are trying to use is correct and should work. Have a good look at your source code again. Isn't there something else you overlooked? Maybe a missing brace or semi-colon?

Try copying and pasting this example, and compiling it: it works without errors.

public class Main
{
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] array = new int[]{ 9, 8, 7 };
 
        if (array instanceof int[]) {
            System.out.println("It's an int array");
        }
    }
}