Is there a way to get name of an array in java?

Question

String[] names = {"abc"};

for this array can we retrieve the array's name names ?

We can get the class of the array, but can we get the name of the array?

The 'name' belongs to the local or instance variable, not the array. — pvg, Jun 20 '16 at 00:39
A key part of understanding Java is learning the difference between an object, and the references to it. Only references have names; the object itself has no name. — Mark Peters, Jun 20 '16 at 00:39
The short answer to your question is "no." The long answer is "nooooooooooo." Absolutely no way, if it's a local variable. — Louis Wasserman, Jun 20 '16 at 00:43
What if you have two array variables, arrayA and arrayB, and both reference the *same array object* -- what would you say the "name" of the array object is? It doesn't make sense since (as @MarkPeters aptly puts), objects don't have "names". — Hovercraft Full Of Eels, Jun 20 '16 at 00:48
Arrays don't have names. Your variable `names` is a *reference* to an array, and there is no way to get that either. — Peter Lawrey, Jun 20 '16 at 00:52
Objects can have names if you make a custom object with an attribute called "name" :D. — topher217, Mar 24 '21 at 05:58

score 4 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:16

4

As a general rule no, it's not possible. However, there are some circumstances when you can obtain the name of a variable through reflection:

When the variable is a field of a class - see this link and
When the variable is a parameter of a method - see this related question

edited May 23 '17 at 12:16

Community

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answered Jun 20 '16 at 00:46

D.B.

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If the class file has been obfuscated, the name of the variable is likely to be non informative. – emory Jun 20 '16 at 00:58

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 24 '21 at 06:23

You could achieve similar functionality by creating your own class with a attribute called "name". The simplest example:

MyArray myArray = new MyArray();


class MyArray{
    public String name = "myArray";
    public String[] names = {"Name1", "Name2", "Name3"};
}

If you wanted to have a different name for each instance make a constructor that accepts a name as an input parameter:

MyArray myArray = new MyArray("myCustomName");

class MyArray{
    public String name = "myArray";
    public String[] names = {"Name1", "Name2", "Name3"};

    public MyArray(String name){
        this.name = name;
    }
}

Is there a way to get name of an array in java?

2 Answers2