Use of "instanceof" in Java

Question

What is the 'instanceof' operator used for?

I learned that Java has the instanceof operator. Can you elaborate where it is used and what are its advantages?

Answer 1

Basically, you check if an object is an instance of a specific class. You normally use it, when you have a reference or parameter to an object that is of a super class or interface type and need to know whether the actual object has some other type (normally more concrete).

Example:

public void doSomething(Number param) {
  if( param instanceof Double) {
    System.out.println("param is a Double");
  }
  else if( param instanceof Integer) {
    System.out.println("param is an Integer");
  }

  if( param instanceof Comparable) {
    //subclasses of Number like Double etc. implement Comparable
    //other subclasses might not -> you could pass Number instances that don't implement that interface
    System.out.println("param is comparable"); 
  }
}

Note that if you have to use that operator very often it is generally a hint that your design has some flaws. So in a well designed application you should have to use that operator as little as possible (of course there are exceptions to that general rule).

Answer 2

instanceof is used to check if an object is an instance of a class, an instance of a subclass, or an instance of a class that implements a particular interface.

Read more from the Oracle language definition here.

Answer 3

instanceof can be used to determine the actual type of an object:

class A { }  
class C extends A { } 
class D extends A { } 

public static void testInstance(){
    A c = new C();
    A d = new D();
    Assert.assertTrue(c instanceof A && d instanceof A);
    Assert.assertTrue(c instanceof C && d instanceof D);
    Assert.assertFalse(c instanceof D);
    Assert.assertFalse(d instanceof C);
}

Answer 4

instanceof is a keyword that can be used to test if an object is of a specified type.

Example :

public class MainClass {
    public static void main(String[] a) {

    String s = "Hello";
    int i = 0;
    String g;
    if (s instanceof java.lang.String) {
       // This is going to be printed
       System.out.println("s is a String");
    }
    if (i instanceof Integer) {
       // This is going to be printed as autoboxing will happen (int -> Integer)
       System.out.println("i is an Integer");
    }
    if (g instanceof java.lang.String) {
       // This case is not going to happen because g is not initialized and
       // therefore is null and instanceof returns false for null. 
       System.out.println("g is a String");
    } 
} 

Here is my source.