Autoboxing: So I can write: Integer i = 0; instead of: Integer i = new Integer(0);

Question

Autoboxing seems to come down to the fact that I can write:

Integer i = 0; 

instead of:

Integer i = new Integer(0);
         


        

Answer 1

That is the idea, yes. It's even more convenient to be able to assign an Integer to an int, though.

One could argue that autoboxing addresses a symptom rather than a cause. The real source of confusion is that Java's type system is inconsistent: the need for both primitives and object references is artificial and awkward. Autoboxing mitigates that somewhat.