Java Arrays Basics: Definition, Initialization, and Traversal, Quick Start Guide

Java arrays are a fundamental structure for storing data of the same type, allowing quick element access via indices (starting from 0). To define an array, you first declare it (format: dataType[] arrayName) and then initialize it: dynamic initialization (using new dataType[length], followed by assignment, e.g., int[] arr = new int[5]); or static initialization (directly assigning elements, e.g., int[] arr = {1,2,3}, where the length is automatically inferred and cannot be specified simultaneously). There are two ways to traverse an array: the for loop (accessing elements via indices, with attention to the index range 0 to length-1 to avoid out-of-bounds errors) and the enhanced for loop (no index needed, directly accessing elements, e.g., for(int num : arr)). Key notes: Elements must be of the same type; indices start at 0; length is immutable; an uninitialized array cannot be used directly, otherwise a NullPointerException will occur. Mastering array operations is crucial for handling batch data.