# Basic Types
Here are the supported basic type values. Some of these types correspond to the wrapper objects for primitives in Java. Since the framework is written in Java, defaults, such as maximum size for a number, for these basic types are defined by the Java objects that they map to.
| type | Example | Description |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Boolean` | `` | Valid values are `true` or `false`. To set a default value of `true`, add `default="true"`. |
| `Date` | `` | A date corresponding to a calendar day in the format yyyy-mm-dd. The hh:mm:ss portion of the date isn’t stored. To include time fields, use `DateTime` instead. |
| `DateTime` | `` | A date corresponding to a timestamp. It includes date and time details with millisecond precision. |
| `Decimal` | `` | `Decimal` values can contain fractional portions (digits to the right of the decimal). Maps to [java.math.BigDecimal](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/math/BigDecimal.html). `Decimal` is better than `Double` for maintaining precision for floating-point calculations. It’s preferable for currency fields. |
| `Double` | `` | `Double` values can contain fractional portions. Maps to [java.lang.Double](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/lang/Double.html). Use `Decimal` for currency fields instead. |
| `Integer` | `` | `Integer` values can contain numbers with no fractional portion. Maps to [java.lang.Integer](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/lang/Integer.html), which defines its limits, such as maximum size. |
| `Long` | `` | `Long` values can contain numbers with no fractional portion. Maps to [java.lang.Long](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/lang/Long.html), which defines its limits, such as maximum size. Use this data type when you need a range of values wider than those provided by `Integer`. |
| `String` | `` | A sequence of characters. |
You can use arrays for each of these basic types. For example:
```nolang
```
## Retrieving Data from an Apex Controller
This example retrieves a string array of favorite colors from an Apex controller.
This component is bound to the `AttributeTypes` Apex controller and retrieves the string array when the `Update` button is clicked. The colors are displayed using a `favoriteColors` attribute.
```xml
{!s}
```
The Apex controller has a `getStringArray()` method that returns a `String[]`.
```apex_code
public class AttributeTypes {
@AuraEnabled
public static String[] getStringArray() {
String[] arrayItems = new String[]{ 'red', 'green', 'blue' };
return arrayItems;
}
}
```
The component’s client-side controller retrieves the string array from the Apex controller by calling `getStringArray()`. The controller then sets the result in the `favoriteColors` attribute, which is refreshed in the UI.
```javascript
({
getString : function(component, event) {
var action = component.get("c.getStringArray");
action.setCallback(this, function(response) {
var state = response.getState();
if (state === "SUCCESS") {
var stringItems = response.getReturnValue();
component.set("v.favoriteColors", stringItems);
}
});
$A.enqueueAction(action);
}
})
```
To retrieve data from an object that’s returned by an Apex controller, create an attribute with a type corresponding to a standard or custom object.
```xml
```
You can access a field on the object using the `{!account.fieldName}` syntax. For more information, see [Using Apex to Work with Salesforce Records](/docs/platform/aura-platform/guide/apex-records.md).
:::note
The return value from Apex is serialized if it contains a decimal value. If the decimal value has more than 15 digits of precision, the value is serialized as a JSON string to preserve exact precision. Otherwise, the value is serialized as a JSON number literal. This serialization prevents precision loss for high-precision decimal values that exceed JavaScript's double precision limits. You can handle these values as strings in JavaScript and convert the values as needed.
:::