# Interface ArrayType

All Superinterfaces:
  `Accessible, Comparable<ReferenceType>, Mirror, ReferenceType, Type`

public interface ArrayType extends ReferenceType
Provides access to the class of an array and the type of its components in the target VM.

Since:
  1.3
See Also:
  - `ArrayReference`

## Method Summary

Modifier and Type
Method
Description
`String`
`componentSignature()`
Gets the JNI signature of the components of this array class.
`Type`
`componentType()`
Returns the component type of this array, as specified in the array declaration.
`String`
`componentTypeName()`
Returns a text representation of the component type of this array.
`ArrayReference`
`newInstance(int length)`
Creates a new instance of this array class in the target VM.

### Methods declared in interface Accessible

`isPackagePrivate, isPrivate, isProtected, isPublic, modifiers`

### Methods declared in interface Comparable

`compareTo`

### Methods declared in interface Mirror

`toString, virtualMachine`

### Methods declared in interface ReferenceType

`allFields, allLineLocations, allLineLocations, allMethods, availableStrata, classLoader, classObject, constantPool, constantPoolCount, defaultStratum, equals, failedToInitialize, fieldByName, fields, genericSignature, getValue, getValues, hashCode, instances, isAbstract, isFinal, isInitialized, isPrepared, isStatic, isVerified, locationsOfLine, locationsOfLine, majorVersion, methods, methodsByName, methodsByName, minorVersion, module, name, nestedTypes, sourceDebugExtension, sourceName, sourceNames, sourcePaths, visibleFields, visibleMethods`

### Methods declared in interface Type

`signature`

## Method Details

### newInstance

ArrayReference newInstance(int length)
Creates a new instance of this array class in the target VM. The array is created with the given length and each component is initialized to is standard default value.

Parameters:
  `length` - the number of components in the new array
Returns:
  the newly created `ArrayReference` mirroring the new object in the target VM.
Throws:
  `VMCannotBeModifiedException` - if the VirtualMachine is read-only - see `VirtualMachine.canBeModified()`.

### componentSignature

String componentSignature()
Gets the JNI signature of the components of this array class. The signature describes the declared type of the components. If the components are objects, their actual type in a particular run-time context may be a subclass of the declared class.

Returns:
  a string containing the JNI signature of array components.

### componentTypeName

String componentTypeName()
Returns a text representation of the component type of this array.

Returns:
  a text representation of the component type.

### componentType

Type componentType() throws ClassNotLoadedException
Returns the component type of this array, as specified in the array declaration.

Note: The component type of a array will always be created or loaded before the array - see The Java Virtual Machine Specification, section 5.3.3 - Creating Array Classes. However, although the component type will be loaded it may not yet be prepared, in which case the type will be returned but attempts to perform some operations on the returned type (e.g. `fields()`) will throw a `ClassNotPreparedException`. Use `ReferenceType.isPrepared()` to determine if a reference type is prepared.

Returns:
  the `Type` of this array's components.
Throws:
  `ClassNotLoadedException`
See Also:
  - `Type`
  - Field.type() - for usage examples