Length of an array and String

Why we are using arrayname.length to find the length of an array and string.length() for a String? Why we are not using length() method for an array?

Because an array is not strictly speaking an object (i.e. it does not extend Object), so you can't call methods on it, and it shouldn't look like you can.

An array is an object. Try this
int a[] = new int[10]; System.out.println(a.toString()); System.out.println(a.hashCode());

But, why you refer it as a property (length), instead of a method (length()) - no clue. Let me think about it.
[ July 22, 2005: Message edited by: Mani Ram ]

Hi,

I may be wrong on this, but this is what I think:

IMHO, String.length() has to be a function and not a public final variable because String is implemented by java code itself. So, it doesn't know the length of the string until it creates it, and thus it can't provide it as a final variable. On the other hand, arrays for primitive types are implemented via an external platform-dependent dll, which returns the specified object. Thus, java code will know the length of an array when it gets it back from the dll, and thus can provide a public final property for the same.

P. S. Don't kill me if I'm wrong ;-)

_steve.

The array.length is a variable which has the size of the array.
the string.length() is a function which calculates the length of the string.

Originally posted by Niki Nono:

the string.length() is a function which calculates the length of the string.

If you take a look at the implementation, it just returns the value of the private "count" field. The count field is only assigned in constructors.

BUT - for the count field to be coderanch, it would have been vital to also make it final. That's no problem for arrays, which can only be constructed in very specific ways. For String it might constrain the class' design too much to be a good idea.