class arrayEg4
{
  public static void main ( String[] args )
  {
    int[] valA = { 12, 23, 45, 56 };

    int[] valB = new int[4]; 

    valB[ 0 ]  = valA[ 0 ] ;
    valB[ 1 ]  = valA[ 1 ] ;
    valB[ 2 ]  = valA[ 2 ] ;
    valB[ 3 ]  = valA[ 3 ] ;

   }
}

Copying Values between Cells

In this example, the int in cell 0 of valA is copied to cell 0 of valB, and so on. This is just like an assignment statement

spot = source

where both variables are of primitive type int. After the four assignment statements of the answer have executed, each array contains the same values in the same order:

The following statement does not do the same thing:

valB = valA ;

Remember that arrays are objects. The statement above will merely copy the object reference in valA into the object reference variable valB, resulting in two ways to access the single array object:

The object that valB previously referenced is now lost (it has become garbage.)

valA[2] = 999;
System.out.println( valA[2] + "   " + valB[2] );