Difference between int[] array and int array[]

Question

They are semantically identical. The int array[] syntax was only added to help C programmers get used to java.

int[] array is much preferable, and less confusing.

There is one slight difference, if you happen to declare more than one variable in the same declaration:

int[] a, b;  // Both a and b are arrays of type int
int c[], d;  // WARNING: c is an array, but d is just a regular int

Note that this is bad coding style, although the compiler will almost certainly catch your error the moment you try to use d.

There is no difference.

I prefer the type[] name format at is is clear that the variable is an array (less looking around to find out what it is).

EDIT:

Oh wait there is a difference (I forgot because I never declare more than one variable at a time):

int[] foo, bar; // both are arrays
int foo[], bar; // foo is an array, bar is an int.

No, these are the same. However

byte[] rowvector, colvector, matrix[];

is equivalent to:

byte rowvector[], colvector[], matrix[][];

Taken from Java Specification. That means that

int a[],b;
int[] a,b;

are different. I would not recommend either of these multiple declarations. Easiest to read would (probably) be:

int[] a;
int[] b;

From section 10.2 of the Java Language Specification:

The [] may appear as part of the type at the beginning of the declaration, or as part of the declarator for a particular variable, or both, as in this example:

 byte[] rowvector, colvector, matrix[];

This declaration is equivalent to:

byte rowvector[], colvector[], matrix[][];

Personally almost all the Java code I've ever seen uses the first form, which makes more sense by keeping all the type information about the variable in one place. I wish the second form were disallowed, to be honest... but such is life...

Fortunately I don't think I've ever seen this (valid) code:

String[] rectangular[] = new String[10][10];

The two commands are the same thing.

You can use the syntax to declare multiple objects:

int[] arrayOne, arrayTwo; //both arrays

int arrayOne[], intOne; //one array one int 

see: http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/arrays.doc.html

No difference.

Quoting from Sun:

The [] may appear as part of the type at the beginning of the declaration, or as part of the declarator for a particular variable, or both, as in this example: byte[] rowvector, colvector, matrix[];

This declaration is equivalent to: byte rowvector[], colvector[], matrix[][];