I am new in programming with Java and I am confused about the following two statements:
public static void main(String args[])
and
public static void main(String[] args)
Are they same? If not, how are they different from each other?
-
No difference, although IMO the latter is preferred.Dave Newton– Dave Newton2011-12-22 15:32:32 +00:00Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 15:32
-
The only difference is the place where the brackets arejclozano– jclozano2011-12-22 15:32:41 +00:00Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 15:32
-
2The real fun begins when you using multidimensional arrays String[] strings[] = new String[1][1]; is really nice.larlin– larlin2011-12-22 15:39:48 +00:00Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 15:39
-
1@larlin only if one is a sociopath O:-)mcfinnigan– mcfinnigan2011-12-22 16:09:10 +00:00Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 16:09
-
@mcfinnigan Now I got some inspiration from the answer bellow. New improved sociopath java array: String[] strings[], stringss[][] = new String[1][1][1]; Isn't the world great?larlin– larlin2011-12-22 16:18:15 +00:00Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 16:18
Add a comment
|
6 Answers
There is no semantic difference between the two forms, the only difference is stylistic.
Comments
They mean the same thing. The second form is generally preferred, as it puts the array declaration with the type declaration. By the way, there's nothing special about this appearing in the main() method, arrays can be declared both ways any place in your code.
Comments
While it's true for single statements there IS a difference in case you define more than one variable:
String[] foo1, foo2; // both variables are of type String[]
String bar1[], bar2; // here they're not. But you really shouldn't do this, causes
// unnecessary confusion
Comments
Yes, they are the same, yet the convention is to write String[] args as String[] is the type.
Comments
Both have exactly the same meaning. However, the first is unconventional and should not be used, because it splits type information. It's a holdover from C.
answered Dec 22, 2011 at 15:33
Michael Borgwardt
347k81 gold badges491 silver badges726 bronze badges
Comments
Its also basically the same as
public static void main(String... args)
which is what I prefer.
