Java: list1=list2 // list1==list2?

Question

what does list1=list2 and list1==list2 mean when we use ArrayLists?

ArrayList <String> list1, list2;
list1=new ArrayList<>(); list2=new ArrayList<>();

Answer 1

In Java, a single equal sign = is used to assign values to variables to be used later in your code, this is why it is called the assignment operator.

Two equal signs == is a comparative operation between two values which returns a Boolean. For instance 1 == 1 will return true , but I would be careful when using this operation with objects and would suggest using the equals() or compare() method.