Weird “[]” after Java method signature

Question

I looked at some Java code today, and I found some weird syntax:

public class Sample {
  public int get()[] {
    return new int[]{1, 2, 3};
  }
}
         


        

Answer 1

It's a method that returns an int[].

Java Language Specification (8.4 Method Declarations)

For compatibility with older versions of the Java platform, a declaration form for a method that returns an array is allowed to place (some or all of) the empty bracket pairs that form the declaration of the array type after the parameter list.

This is supported by the obsolescent production:

MethodDeclarator:
    MethodDeclarator [ ]

but should not be used in new code.