Doubt in Array Declaration

[Sriram.Narayanan Thiagarajan]

int []a,b[] ; // LINE 1
a = new int[3];
b=a;


on compiling the piece of code , Iam getting the following error

found : int[]
required: int[][]
b=a;
^
can anybody explain ,how the compiler reads LINE 1

[Barry Gaunt]

It read line 1 as

int[] a;
int[] b[];  which is the same as int[][] b;

So when you assign b = a; you are trying to assign a one-dimensional array reference to a two-dimensional array reference.
[ July 28, 2006: Message edited by: Barry Gaunt ]

[Gowher Naik]

a is single dimensional array
b is double dimensional array
and u are refering single dimensional array to double dimensional array
which is compile time error.

   int []a,b[] is equal to int []a; int []b[];  

[Barry Gaunt]

Never write array declarations like that - nobody understands them.

[Sriram.Narayanan Thiagarajan]

int []a,[]b ; // LINE 1

a = new int[3];
b=a;


If I change line 1 ,its giving complier error

<identifier> expected
int []a,[]b ; // LINE 1

[Andy Morris]

Looking at the initial declaration for the arrays I don't understand how array a is 1 dimensional and b is 2 dimensional. I'd assumed they are both 1 dimensional.

I'd agree that you wouldn't want people to declare arrays like that because no-one understands them, which is kind of my question, as I'd just like to understand how that declaration is working.
[ July 28, 2006: Message edited by: Andy Morris ]

[Sriram.Narayanan Thiagarajan]

I am preparing for SCJP1.4

when writing an mock exam , I came across this type of question

[Barry Gaunt]

Originally posted by Andy Morris:
Looking at the initial declaration for the arrays I don't understand how array a is 1 dimensional and b is 2 dimensional. I'd assumed they are both 1 dimensional.

I'd agree that you wouldn't want people to declare arrays like that because no-one understands them, which is kind of my question, as I'd just like to understand how that declaration is working.

[ July 28, 2006: Message edited by: Andy Morris ]

Try:

public class Marray
{
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] a, b[] = {{1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}};
        a = new int[3];
        
        System.out.println(b.length + " " + b[0].length);
        
        
        for ( int[] c : b ) {
                System.out.println(java.util.Arrays.toString(c));
        }
 
        
//        b = a; // fails because assigninh 1-dimensional array
               // to a two dimensional array        
    }
}