## What are Class Literals in Java and How are they Used?

Deciphering Class Literals in Java

The Java tutorial states that class literals are a unique type of literal that can be constructed by appending ".class" to a type name, such as String.class. But what is the purpose of a class literal?

Assigning a Class Literal

A class literal can be assigned to a variable of type java.lang.Class. This type represents the underlying type of the object. For instance, the following code assigns the class literal for the String class to a variable:

<code class="java">Class<String> c = String.class;</code>

Class Literal Functionality

The Class object allows you to perform reflection-related operations on the type it represents. Some common use cases include:

• Obtaining the name, modifiers, and annotations of the type
• Instantiating the type using the newInstance() method
• Getting access to the methods, fields, and constructors of the type

Example

The following code uses reflection to obtain the name of the String class:

<code class="java">System.out.println(c.getName()); // Output: java.lang.String</code>

Class literals are a powerful tool for understanding and manipulating types in Java. By assigning class literals to Class variables, you can access a wealth of information and functionality related to the underlying types.

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