Java 18 is likely seven months away but is already starting to take shape, with two feature proposals for it so far: record and array patterns and character sets.
While the OpenJDK page for Java Development Kit (JDK) 18 lists no official features, the JEP (JDK Enhancement Proposal) index of Java technologies cites two features proposed for Java 18:
- A preview of record patterns and array patterns, in which the Java language would be enhanced with record patterns, to deconstruct record values, and array pattens, to deconstruct array values. Record patterns, array patterns, and type patterns, which were featured in JDK 16, can be nested so as to significantly enhance the expressiveness and utility of pattern matching.
