Question

Recently I have come across the following syntax in Android:

Intent i = new Intent(getApplicationContext(), SomeActivityClass.class);

Could someone please explain what happens when SomeActivityClass.class is called?

Answer 1

class is a static class field of each class, of type Class<?> which represents the type of that specific class. It is often used for instantiating a class by reflection (as in the intent case).

i.e. – after:

Class<?> clazz = SomeActivityClass.class;

clazz will refer to an object of type Class<?> that represents the SomeActivityClass class.

Links:

• Class documentation
• Using reflection (including class instantiation)