Re: what is the initial value of arrays of object
zerg wrote:
Joshua Cranmer wrote:
Similarly, the syntax doesn't feel right, especially since
|new int[x](10)| and |new StringBuilder[x](10)| are using the same
syntax to do two different things: the first a shorthand in essence
for |foo = 10| and the latter for |new StringBuilder(10)|.
That's like complaining that new Integer(10) and new Stringbuilder(10)
have the same syntax but do very different things with the "10".
It was hard to come with a good example; the basic idea was that one
refers in essence to assignment and the other to construction.
A better example would be
|new int[x](10)| creates an array filled with x's while |new
LinkedList[x](list)| creates an array filled with copies of new
LinkedList(list).
Note that in that case the syntax is ambiguous: am I filling the list
with copies of list or actual references to list? Good idioms should
make meaning clear, even if the syntax is foreign. New syntax should
reflect this design. |for (String s : strings)| may be new to a user,
but it is immediately clear (if strings is an array) that s will be
referring to each value in the array.
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