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## java.lang
Class Class

    java.lang.Object
      java.lang.Class

public final class Class
extends Object

Instances of the class `Class` represent classes and interfaces in a running Java application. Every array also belongs to a class that is reflected as a `Class` object that is shared by all arrays with the same element type and number of dimensions.

`Class` has no public constructor. Instead `Class` objects are constructed automatically by the Java Virtual Machine as classes are loaded.

The following example uses a `Class` object to print the class name of an object:

>          void printClassName(Object obj) {
>              System.out.println("The class of " + obj +
>                                 " is " + obj.getClass().getName());
>          }

Since:
  JDK1.0

Method Summary
`static Class` | `forName(String className)` Returns the `Class` object associated with the class with the given string name.
`String` | `getName()` Returns the fully-qualified name of the entity (class, interface, array class, primitive type, or void) represented by this `Class` object, as a `String`.
`InputStream` | `getResourceAsStream(String name)` Finds a resource with a given name.
`boolean` | `isArray()` Determines if this `Class` object represents an array class.
`boolean` | `isAssignableFrom(Class cls)` Determines if the class or interface represented by this `Class` object is either the same as, or is a superclass or superinterface of, the class or interface represented by the specified `Class` parameter.
`boolean` | `isInstance(Object obj)` Determines if the specified `Object` is assignment-compatible with the object represented by this `Class`.
`boolean` | `isInterface()` Determines if the specified `Class` object represents an interface type.
`Object` | `newInstance()` Creates a new instance of a class.
`String` | `toString()` Converts the object to a string.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
`equals, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait`

Method Detail

### toString

    public String toString()

  Converts the object to a string. The string representation is the string "class" or "interface", followed by a space, and then by the fully qualified name of the class in the format returned by `getName`. If this `Class` object represents a primitive type, this method returns the name of the primitive type. If this `Class` object represents void this method returns "void".

  Overrides:
    `toString` in class `Object`
  Returns:
    a string representation of this class object.

### forName

    public static Class forName(String className)
                         throws ClassNotFoundException

  Returns the `Class` object associated with the class with the given string name. Given the fully-qualified name for a class or interface, this method attempts to locate, load and link the class. If it succeeds, returns the Class object representing the class. If it fails, the method throws a ClassNotFoundException.

  For example, the following code fragment returns the runtime `Class` descriptor for the class named `java.lang.Thread`:

  `Class t = Class.forName("java.lang.Thread")`

  Parameters:
    `className` - the fully qualified name of the desired class.
  Returns:
    the `Class` descriptor for the class with the specified name.
  Throws:
    `ClassNotFoundException` - if the class could not be found.
  Since:
    JDK1.0

### newInstance

    public Object newInstance()
                       throws InstantiationException,
                              IllegalAccessException

  Creates a new instance of a class.

  Returns:
    a newly allocated instance of the class represented by this object. This is done exactly as if by a `new` expression with an empty argument list.
  Throws:
    `IllegalAccessException` - if the class or initializer is not accessible.
    `InstantiationException` - if an application tries to instantiate an abstract class or an interface, or if the instantiation fails for some other reason.
  Since:
    JDK1.0

### isInstance

    public boolean isInstance(Object obj)

  Determines if the specified `Object` is assignment-compatible with the object represented by this `Class`. This method is the dynamic equivalent of the Java language `instanceof` operator. The method returns `true` if the specified `Object` argument is non-null and can be cast to the reference type represented by this `Class` object without raising a `ClassCastException.` It returns `false` otherwise.

  Specifically, if this `Class` object represents a declared class, this method returns `true` if the specified `Object` argument is an instance of the represented class (or of any of its subclasses); it returns `false` otherwise. If this `Class` object represents an array class, this method returns `true` if the specified `Object` argument can be converted to an object of the array class by an identity conversion or by a widening reference conversion; it returns `false` otherwise. If this `Class` object represents an interface, this method returns `true` if the class or any superclass of the specified `Object` argument implements this interface; it returns `false` otherwise. If this `Class` object represents a primitive type, this method returns `false`.

  Parameters:
    `obj` - the object to check
  Returns:
    true if `obj` is an instance of this class
  Since:
    JDK1.1

### isAssignableFrom

    public boolean isAssignableFrom(Class cls)

  Determines if the class or interface represented by this `Class` object is either the same as, or is a superclass or superinterface of, the class or interface represented by the specified `Class` parameter. It returns `true` if so; otherwise it returns `false`. If this `Class` object represents a primitive type, this method returns `true` if the specified `Class` parameter is exactly this `Class` object; otherwise it returns `false`.

  Specifically, this method tests whether the type represented by the specified `Class` parameter can be converted to the type represented by this `Class` object via an identity conversion or via a widening reference conversion. See The Java Language Specification, sections 5.1.1 and 5.1.4 , for details.

  Parameters:
    `cls` - the `Class` object to be checked
  Returns:
    the `boolean` value indicating whether objects of the type `cls` can be assigned to objects of this class
  Throws:
    `NullPointerException` - if the specified Class parameter is null.
  Since:
    JDK1.1

### isInterface

    public boolean isInterface()

  Determines if the specified `Class` object represents an interface type.

  Returns:
    `true` if this object represents an interface; `false` otherwise.

### isArray

    public boolean isArray()

  Determines if this `Class` object represents an array class.

  Returns:
    `true` if this object represents an array class; `false` otherwise.
  Since:
    JDK1.1

### getName

    public String getName()

  Returns the fully-qualified name of the entity (class, interface, array class, primitive type, or void) represented by this `Class` object, as a `String`.

  If this `Class` object represents a class of arrays, then the internal form of the name consists of the name of the element type in Java signature format, preceded by one or more "`[`" characters representing the depth of array nesting. Thus:

  >      (new Object[3]).getClass().getName()

  returns "`[Ljava.lang.Object;`" and:

  >      (new int[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]).getClass().getName()

  returns "`[[[[[[[I`". The encoding of element type names is as follows:

  >      B            byte
  >      C            char
  >      D            double
  >      F            float
  >      I            int
  >      J            long
  >      Lclassname;  class or interface
  >      S            short
  >      Z            boolean

  The class or interface name `classname` is given in fully qualified form as shown in the example above.

  Returns:
    the fully qualified name of the class or interface represented by this object.

### getResourceAsStream

    public InputStream getResourceAsStream(String name)

  Finds a resource with a given name. This method returns null if no resource with this name is found. The rules for searching resources associated with a given class are profile specific.

  Parameters:
    `name` - name of the desired resource
  Returns:
    a `java.io.InputStream` object.
  Since:
    JDK1.1

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