May 12, 2021 · May 12, 2021
diff --git a/_posts/groovy/2021-05-11-determine-a-datatype-in-groovy.md b/_posts/groovy/2021-05-11-determine-a-datatype-in-groovy.md
 ---
 layout: post
 title: "Groovy: How To Determine The Datatype Of An Object?"
 author: gaurav
 categories: [Groovy]
 description: "In this quick tutorial, we will how can we determine the datatype of an object in Groovy."
 ---

 ## Introduction

 In this quick tutorial, we will see how we can determine the datatype of an object in Groovy.

 When you are writing a Groovy code, sometimes you need to check the datatype of an object.  Also, not following the proper naming convention may lead to object datatype confusion.

 We will see the best way to check the datatype of an object in groovy so that you can use it correctly in the code.

 ## How To Determine The Datatype Of An Object In Groovy?

 To determine the class of an object, you can simply call the `getClass()` method on it.

 An example is given below.
 ```groovy
 anObject.getClass()
 ```
 let check the above line program.

 ```groovy
 def names = ['Gaurav', 'Shubham', 'Nayan', 'Sudeep'];

 println names.getClass(); // prints 'class java.util.ArrayList'

 def blogname = '''coderolls''';

 println blogname.getClass(); // prints 'class java.lang.String'

 println blogname.getClass().name; // prints 'java.lang.String'
 ```

 Output:
 ```
 class java.util.ArrayList
 class java.lang.String
 java.lang.String
 ```
 In the above program, we can see that the `names` is an `ArrayList`  and `blogname` is a `String` object.

 When we call the `getClass()` method on these objects it prints its respective datatype.

 In most of the cases you can use the `anObject.getClass()` as `anObject.class`. But if `anObject` is `Map` it will try to retrieve the value with key 'class'.  Because of this it is always recommended to use `anObject.getClass()` instead of `anObject.class`.

 If you want to check if an object implements a particular interface or extends a particular class (e.g. String, ArrayList, etc), you can use the `instanceof` keyword.

 For example,

 ```groovy
 (anObject instanceof String)
 ```

 Let's check above code in an example program

 ```groovy
 def blogname = '''coderolls''';
 println (blogname instanceof String) // true
 println (blogname instanceof ArrayList) // false
 ```
 Output:
 ```
 true
 false
 ```

 In the above program, I have defined one String `blogname`. I have used the `instanceof` keyword to check if the `blogname` implements the `String` class and it prints `true`. It means the `blogname` is an instance of the `String` class.

 When I used the `instanceof` keyword to check if the `blogname` implements the `ArrayList` class and it prints `false`. It means the `blogname` is not an instance of the `ArrayList` class.

 ## Conclusion

 In this tutorial, we have seen how we can determine the datatype of an object in Groovy.

 You can use the `getClass()` method to determine the class of an object.

 ```groovy
 anObject.getClass()
 ```

 Also, if you want to check if an object implements an Interface or Class, you can use the `instanceof` keyword.

 ```groovy
 (anObject instanceof String)
 ```
 That's it about checking the datatype of an object in Groovy.

 If you know any other way to check the datatype of an object, please comment below to help the community. Thank you.

 ### Related Articles

 - [Hello World In Groovy](https://coderolls.com/hello-world-in-groovy/)
Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
		@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
		---
		layout: post
		title: "Groovy: How To Determine The Datatype Of An Object?"
		author: gaurav
		categories: [Groovy]
		description: "In this quick tutorial, we will how can we determine the datatype of an object in Groovy."
		---

		## Introduction

		In this quick tutorial, we will see how we can determine the datatype of an object in Groovy.

		When you are writing a Groovy code, sometimes you need to check the datatype of an object. Also, not following the proper naming convention may lead to object datatype confusion.

		We will see the best way to check the datatype of an object in groovy so that you can use it correctly in the code.

		## How To Determine The Datatype Of An Object In Groovy?

		To determine the class of an object, you can simply call the `getClass()` method on it.

		An example is given below.
		```groovy
		anObject.getClass()
		```
		let check the above line program.

		```groovy
		def names = ['Gaurav', 'Shubham', 'Nayan', 'Sudeep'];

		println names.getClass(); // prints 'class java.util.ArrayList'

		def blogname = '''coderolls''';

		println blogname.getClass(); // prints 'class java.lang.String'

		println blogname.getClass().name; // prints 'java.lang.String'
		```

		Output:
		```
		class java.util.ArrayList
		class java.lang.String
		java.lang.String
		```
		In the above program, we can see that the `names` is an `ArrayList` and `blogname` is a `String` object.

		When we call the `getClass()` method on these objects it prints its respective datatype.

		In most of the cases you can use the `anObject.getClass()` as `anObject.class`. But if `anObject` is `Map` it will try to retrieve the value with key 'class'. Because of this it is always recommended to use `anObject.getClass()` instead of `anObject.class`.

		If you want to check if an object implements a particular interface or extends a particular class (e.g. String, ArrayList, etc), you can use the `instanceof` keyword.

		For example,

		```groovy
		(anObject instanceof String)
		```

		Let's check above code in an example program

		```groovy
		def blogname = '''coderolls''';
		println (blogname instanceof String) // true
		println (blogname instanceof ArrayList) // false
		```
		Output:
		```
		true
		false
		```

		In the above program, I have defined one String `blogname`. I have used the `instanceof` keyword to check if the `blogname` implements the `String` class and it prints `true`. It means the `blogname` is an instance of the `String` class.

		When I used the `instanceof` keyword to check if the `blogname` implements the `ArrayList` class and it prints `false`. It means the `blogname` is not an instance of the `ArrayList` class.

		## Conclusion

		In this tutorial, we have seen how we can determine the datatype of an object in Groovy.

		You can use the `getClass()` method to determine the class of an object.

		```groovy
		anObject.getClass()
		```

		Also, if you want to check if an object implements an Interface or Class, you can use the `instanceof` keyword.

		```groovy
		(anObject instanceof String)
		```
		That's it about checking the datatype of an object in Groovy.

		If you know any other way to check the datatype of an object, please comment below to help the community. Thank you.

		### Related Articles

		- [Hello World In Groovy](https://coderolls.com/hello-world-in-groovy/)