What does the SomeClassIdentifier.class keyword do?

Question

I see this often.
SomeClassIdentifier.class == SomeClassIdentifier.getClass() ?

Answer 1

I see this often.
SomeClassIdentifier.class == SomeClassIdentifier.getClass() ?Not quite; the getClass() method is a non-static method inherited from the Object class.
It returns a Class object representing the runtime class of the object for which the method was
invoked. The funny .class notation is a class literal, it also evaluates to a Class object, but
this object will represent the type that was mentioned on the left of the dot. e.g. -- Object a= new String("foo");
String  b= new String("bar"); both a.getClass() and b.getClass() will return a Class object for the String class.
String.class will evaluate to that same object, but Object.class wouldn't of course ...
You can even create class literals for primitive types or arrays of even for void.
kind regars,
Jos