Basic Syntax Question - String[].class

From: Evil *** (hq_at_national.org.nz)
Date: 04/27/04


Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 02:38:48 +1200

Hi,

I'm building a Bison (LALR(1))-based java language parser, which is
successfully building parse trees on 99.75% of the .java files in a test
codebase.

However, one construct which is derailing it is:

Method m = cls.getMethod("main", new Class[] { String[].class; });

The syntax error happens at the 'String [].class' in the array initializer.

I'm still fairly new to Java, so from my limited understanding, 'String
[].class' produces a Class object, being the class of array of String.

I'm studying the language spec at:

   http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/first_edition/html/index.html

but I'm failing to ascertain where 'String [].class' fits into the
formal syntax description. What particular kind of syntactical entity is
this?

Can anyone point me to the right place in the syntax spec?

Thanks in advance
EB