Static Arrays in Java

When we're dealing with large amounts of data, we want to make sure we can organize and manage it properly.

In Java, we use arrays to store several pieces of data in one place. The items in an array must be of the same data type.

A static array or fixed array is an array for which the size / length is determined when the array is created and/or allocated.

Creation:

We create a static array by using the keyword new, then writing the data type of the elements and the array's length inside []:

String[] arrayOfStrings = new String[3];

In this program we created an array named arrayOfStrings that consists of 3 String items.

These 3 items are null (no value given yet) initially.

Creation & Initialization:

There is a way to initialize an array at creation by using the = operator with an opening bracket, end it with a closing bracket, and put a comma between each entry, like this:

String[] arrayOfStrings = {"AlgoCademy", "coding", "static arrays"};

We created an array named arrayOfStrings which consits of 3 String items: "peanut butter", "jelly" and "bread".

Assignment
Follow the Coding Tutorial and let's play with some arrays.

Hint
Look at the examples above if you get stuck.