They are actually different with regards to where you can use them. A.class
works at compile time while a.getClass()
requires an instance of type A
and works at runtime.
The .class
Syntax
If the type is available but there is no instance then it is possible to obtain a Class by appending ".class" to the name of the type. This is also the easiest way to obtain the Class for a primitive type.
boolean b;
Class c = b.getClass(); // compile-time error
Class c = boolean.class; // correct
Note that the statement boolean.getClass()
would produce a compile-time error because a boolean is a primitive type and cannot be dereferenced. The.class
syntax returns the Class
corresponding to the type boolean.
Class c = java.io.PrintStream.class;
The variable c will be the Class corresponding to the type java.io.PrintStream.
Class c = int[][][].class;
The .class syntax may be used to retrieve a Class corresponding to a multi-dimensional array of a given type.
Retrieving Class Objects (The Java™ Tutorials > The Reflection API > Classes)
Retrieving Class Objects (The Java™ Tutorials > The Reflection API > Classes)
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/reflect/class/classNew.html