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#027 J2SE 5.0 Generics

Lab Exercises

 

Exercise 1: Use Generic classes with type parameters

In this exercise, you will learn the basic concept of Generics by adding lines of code to the Main.java.  You will try to reason why some code work while others result in compilation errors.  Technical explanations are then followed.

(1.1) Compile time type checking through Generics

0. Start NetBeans IDE if you have not done so yet.
1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects.
  • Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in GenericsExample1 as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in GenericsExample1.  (Figure-1.10 below)
  • Click Finish.


Figure-1.10: Create a new project

  • Observe that GenericsExample1 project appears and IDE generated GenericsExample1.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.

2. Modify the IDE generated GenericExample1.java as shown in Code-1.11 below and see if you experience any compile errors.  Study the code by paying special attention to the bold fonted parts.

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.List;

public class GenericsExample1 {

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Notice the type declaration <Integer> for the variable ai.
// It specifies that this is not just an arbitrary ArrayList,
// but a ArrayList of Integer, denoted as ArrayList<Integer>.

ArrayList<Integer> ai = new ArrayList<Integer>(10);
ai.add(0, new Integer(20));
ai.add(1, new Long(1234));
ai.add(2, new String(“xyz”));
ai.add(3, new Object());
Integer i = ai.get(0);
String s = ai.get(0);
Object o = ai.get(0);

List<String> ls = new ArrayList<String>(10);
ls.add(0, new String(“abc”));
ls.add(1, new Integer(2));
ls.add(2, new Date());

List<Object> lo = new ArrayList<Object>(10);
lo.add(0, new Integer(20));
lo.add(1, new Long(1234));
lo.add(2, new String(“xyz”));
lo.add(3, new Object());
}

}

Code-1.11: GenericExample1.java

3. Observe that some lines have compile errors as shown in Figure-1.12 below.


Figure-1.12: Compile errors

4. Understand why some lines have compile errors and while others don’t by reading the following explanations.

Line #14: Adding an entry of Integer object to an ArrayList of Integer should work fine as expected.

Line #15, #16, #17 (lines that have red x boxes): These three lines of code result in compilation error – cannot find symbol, symbol: method add(..).  The compilation errors are generated because Long, String, and Object types are not Integer type nor sub-type of it.  In pre-J2SE 5.0, a ClassCastException would have occurred during runtime (if you are casting the extracted object to a incompatible type) not compile time.  Here by using generics, you are detecting a problem during compile time.

Line #18: Note that you do not have to cast Integer type as you would have done in pre-J2SE 5.0.  This is because compiler knows that ArrayList<Integer> contains only Integer’s, it is not necessary to cast an element retrieved from the ArrayList of Integer to Integer type.

Line #19 (line that has red x box): Compiler generates compile error since String is not Integer type.

Line #20: This code works since the Integer type is Object type (meaning Integer type is a sub-class of Object type).

Line #22: When you create an instance of an ArrayList class, you also specify a type argument, <String>, to tell the compiler that the ArrayList is only to be used to hold objects of type String. (String is a final class so there should not be any sub-type of it.)

Line #23: Adding an entry of String to an ArrayList of String should work fine.

Line #24, #25 (lines that have red x boxes): These two lines of code result in compilation error – cannot find symbol, symbol: method add(..).  The compilation errors are generated because Integer and Date types are not String type nor subtype of it.

Line #27: When you create an instance of an ArrayList class, you also specify a type argument, <Object>, to tell the compiler that the ArrayList is only to be used to hold objects of type Object or sub-type of it.

Line #28, #29, #30, #31: Because Integer, Long, String, and Object types are all Object type of subtype of it, adding an entry of these types to an ArrayList of Object should work fine.

5.  For your own exercise, do some experimentation by improvising your own code and see if they behave as you expect.  A sample code is provided in Code-1.14 below.

      //
// Invoke various methods of a collection
//
List<Number> ln2 = new Vector<Number>(20);     // Right click this line and select Fix Imports (Alt+Shift+F)
ln2.add(0, new Integer(3));
ln2.add(1, new Long(1000L));
String s2 = new String(“passion”);
ln2.add(s2);
Number n2 = ln2.get(0);
Integer i2 = ln2.get(0);
Boolean b2 = ln2.contains(new Integer(3));
Boolean b3 = ln2.contains(s2);
System.out.println(“b2=”+b2);
System.out.println(“b3=”+b3);

//
//  Try to add an ArrayList of Integer to an ArrayList of Number
//
ArrayList<Integer> ai2 = new ArrayList<Integer> (10);
ai2.add(new Integer(5));

ln2.addAll(ai2);

//
//  Try to add an ArrayList of String to an ArrayList of Number
//
ArrayList<String> as2 = new ArrayList<String>(10);
as2.add(new String(“adventure”));

ln2.addAll(as2);

for (Number n: ln2){
System.out.println(“number “+ n);
}

Code-1.14:  Sample code

Summary

IIn this exercise, you got a exposure to a generic definition of a collection class, ArrayList<E>.  You also learned, <E>, specifies the formal type parameter of the generic’ized ArrayList class.  You also learned how to invoke the generic version of ArrayList class by replacing the formal type parameter, <E>, by concrete type argument such as <Integer>, <String>, or <Object>.

Exercise 2: Generics and subtyping

In this exercise, you will learn about a distinct behavior of Generics that might take you a while to get used to.  Basically you will learn why Java compiler does not allow the following code, thus generates compilation error.

ArrayList<Object> ao = new ArrayList<Integer>();

(2.1) Experiment with sub-typing

1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects.
  • Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in GenericsSubtyping as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in GenericsSubtyping.
  • Click Finish.

  • Observe that GenericsSubtyping project appears and IDE generated GenericsSubtyping.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.

2. Modify the IDE generated GenericsSubtyping.java as shown in Code-2.11 below.  Study the code by paying special attention to the bold fonted parts.

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Vector;

public class GenericsSubtyping {

public static void main(String[] args) {

// These should work
ArrayList<Integer> ai = new ArrayList<Integer>();
ArrayList<String> as = new ArrayList<String>();
ArrayList<Object> ao1 = new ArrayList<Object>();
// There is no inheritance relationship between type arguments
ArrayList<Object> ao2 = new ArrayList<String>();
ArrayList<Object> ao3 = new ArrayList<Integer>();

// There is still inheritance relationship between classes
List<String> ls = new ArrayList<String>();
List<Object> lo = new ArrayList<String>();

// There is still  inheritance relationship between elements in a collection object
List<Number> ln1 = new Vector<Number>();
List<Number> ln2 = new Vector<Integer>();
List<Number> ln3 = new ArrayList<Long>();

}

}

Code-2.11: GenericsSubtyping.java

3. Observe that some lines have compile errors as shown in Figure-2.12 below.


Figure-2.12

4. Understand why some lines have compile errors and while others don’t by reading the following explanations.

Line #9: When you create an instance of an ArrayList class, you also specify a type argument, <Integer>, to tell the compiler that the ArrayList is only to be used to hold objects of type Integer or sub-type of it.  We will call this ArrayList<Integer> as an ArrayList of Integer.

Line #9, #10, #11: As we have learned in Exercise 2, when you create an instance of an ArrayList<E> class, you also specify a type argument, for example, ArrayList<Integer> in Line #9,  ArrayList<String> in Line #10, and ArrayList<Object> in Line #11, to tell the compiler that the ArrayList is only to be used to hold objects of a particular type or sub-type of it.  In other words, ArrayList<Object> can hold objects of Object type or sub-type of it.

Line #12, #13: (lines that have red x box): These two lines of code result in compilation error, for example,  incompatible types, found: java.util.ArrayList<java.lang.String> required: java.util.ArrayList<java.lang.Object> for Line #12.


<Learning point>  As it clearly indicates, you cannot assign an instance of ArrayList<String> to a variable of ArrayList<Object> type.  Nor you can assign an instance of ArrayList<Integer> to a varaible of ArrayList<Object> type.  In other words, an ArrayList of String is not an ArrayList of Object and an ArrayList of Integer is not an ArrayList of Object.  This is very counter-intuitive to our understanding of OO concept but it is a very important aspect to remember in Generics.

Gilad Bracha (JSR-14 specification lead) explained why this assignment is not allowed in Generics in his Java Programming Language (Chapter 3: Generics and Subtyping) [2]. Basically if it had been allowed, then there would be a possibility of ClassCastException being thrown during runtime, which goes against the “type-safety” principle of Generics.  Let’s take a look an example code.

List<String> ls = new ArrayList<String>(); //1
List<Object> lo = ls; //2
lo.add(new Object()); // 3
String s = ls.get(0); // 4: attempts to assign an Object to a String! ClassCastException would have to be thrown!

Line 1 is certainly legal.  But Line 2 is not legal in Generics.  If it has been allowed, then during runtime, ClassCastException would have to be thrown in Line 4. [2]


5.  For your own exercise, do some experimentation by improvising your own code and see if they behave as you expect.  A sample code is provided in Code-1.14 below.

      //
// Assignment of collection with parameter types
//
List<Object> lo5 = new ArrayList<Integer>();
List<Object> lo6 = new Vector<Integer>(5);
Collection<Object> co1 = new Vector<String>();           // Right-click this line and select Fix Imports first
Collection<Object> co2 = new ArrayList<Integer> (10);
Collection<Integer> ci1 = new ArrayList<Integer> (10);

Code-1.14:  Experimentation code

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/GenericsSubtyping.  You can just open it and run it.

Summary

In this exercise, you learned that ArrayList<String> is not an ArrayList<Object> and why that is the case.

Exercise 3:Wild card

In this exercise, you will learn the concept of wildcard and  learn when to use them.  The wildcard type is equivalent to saying the type is unknown, so Collection<?> is the same as saying a Collection of unknown type.

 

(3.1) Wild card

1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects.
  • Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in GenericsWildcard as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in GenericsWildcard.
  • Click Finish.

  • Observe that GenericsWildcard project appears and IDE generated GenericsWildcard.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.

2. Modify the IDE generated GenericsWildcard.java as shown in Code-3.11 below.  Study the code by paying special attention to the bold fonted parts.

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;

public class GenericsWildcard {

static void printCollection(Collection<Object> c){
for (Object o: c)
System.out.println(o);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {
// TODO code application logic here

ArrayList<Integer> a = new ArrayList<Integer>(10);
printCollection(a);

}

}

Code-3.11: GenericsWildcard.java

3. Observe that some lines have compile errors as shown in Figure-3.12 below.


Figure-3.12: Compile error

4. Understand why some lines have compile errors and while others don’t by reading the following explanations.

Line#15 (line that has red x box): Again, the reason the compilation error occurs on this line is because you are passing an instance of  ArrayList<Integer> into where Collection<Object> is expected.  By now, you should be well aware that ArrayList<Integer> is not sub-type of ArrayList<Object> and ArrayList<Integer> is not a sub-type of Collection<Object>.  This is the same compilation error you have experienced in exercise 2.  The compilation error you experienced in Figure-40 above has the same effect as the code in Code-41 below.

Collection<Object> c = new ArrayList<Integer> (10);                 // Compilation error
5. One way to fix this is to change the printCollection(..) method as following.  Note that type, Integer, is matching between the caller and callee.

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;

public class GenericsWildcard {

static void printCollection(Collection<Integer> c){
for (Object o: c)
System.out.println(o);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

ArrayList<Integer> a = new ArrayList<Integer>(10);
printCollection(a);

}

}

Code-3.14: Use compatible type

6. Now supposed you want to pass not only a collection of Integer but also a collection of any type such as Long, Float, or String etc.  How would you change the printCollection()?  You know you can’t use Collection<Object> as you’ve seen in previous steps.  Here is where the unknown type <?> (or it is called wildcard) comes into the picture.  In order to accommodate a collection of any type, you can use unknown type <?> as shown in Code-3.15 below.

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;

public class GenericsWildcard {

static void printCollection(Collection<?> c){
for (Object o: c)
System.out.println(o);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {
// TODO code application logic here

ArrayList<Integer> a = new ArrayList<Integer>(10);
printCollection(a);
ArrayList<Long> l = new ArrayList<Long>(10);
printCollection(l);
ArrayList<String> s = new ArrayList<String>(10);
printCollection(s);
}

}

Code-3.15: Use wildcard

The code in Code-3.15 above has the same effect as the one shown in Code-3.16 below.

    Collection<?> c = new ArrayList<Integer> (10);                           // This code works
c = new ArrayList<Long> (10);                                                  // This code works
c = new ArrayList<String> (10);                                                 // This code works

Code-3.16:  Usage of unknown type

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/GenericsWildcard.  You can just open it and run it.

(3.2) Bounded wild card

Now we are ready to learn Bounded Wildcards. There may well be situations where we want to be able to define a type argument so that it is restricted to a particular class or sub-type of that class.   Let’s say you want to constrain the printCollection() method to receive only the Number type and its sub-types instead of any type.  In other words, you want compiler to generate a compilation error when the printCollection() method receive a Collection of String type while it receives a Collection of Number, Integer, or Long without compilation errors.  This is where you can use a Collection of bounded Wildcards, <? extends Number>.

1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects.
  • Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in GenericsBoundedWildcard as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in GenericsBoundedWildcard.
  • Click Finish.

  • Observe that GenericsBoundedWildcard project appears and IDE generated GenericsBoundedWildcard.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.

2. Modify the IDE generated GenericsBoundedWildcard.java as shown in Code-3.21 below.  Study the code by paying special attention to the bold fonted parts.

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;

public class GenericsBoundedWildcard {

static void printCollection(Collection<? extends Number> c){      // Bounded wildcard
for (Object o: c)
System.out.println(o);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

ArrayList<Integer> a = new ArrayList<Integer>(10);
printCollection(a);
ArrayList<Long> l = new ArrayList<Long>(10);
printCollection(l);
ArrayList<String> s = new ArrayList<String>(10);
printCollection(s);                                                    // Now compile error should occur

}

}

Code-3.21: GenericsBoundedWildcard.java

3. Observe that some lines have compile errors as shown in Figure-3.22 below.


Figure-3.22: Compile error

The code above has the same effect as the one shown in Code-3.23 below.

    Collection<? extends Number> c = new ArrayList<Integer> (10); // This code works
c = new ArrayList<Long> (10);                                                  // This code works
c = new ArrayList<String> (10);                                                 // Compilation error

Code-3.23: Usage of bounded wildcard

4. Now is the time you are going to your own experimentation.  Improvise your own code and see if they behave as you expect.  Code-3.24 below contains sample code you can experiment with.

        Collection<? extends Number> c3;
c3 = new Vector<Integer>();
c3.add(new Integer(3));
c3.add(new Long(4L));
c3 = new Vector<String>();
c3 = new Vector<Long>();
c3 = new ArrayList<Date>();

Collection<? extends Object> c4;
c4 = new Vector<Integer>();
c4 = new Vector<String>();
c4 = new Vector<Long>();
c4 = new ArrayList<Date>();

Collection<?> c5;
c5 = new Vector<Integer>();
c5 = new Vector<String>();
c5 = new Vector<Long>();
c5 = new ArrayList<Date>();

Code-3.24: Experimental code using wildcard as type argument

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/GenericsBoundedWildcard.  You can just open it and run it.

Summary

In this exercise, you have learned how to retrieve information on a ThreadGroup.

Exercise 4: Define your own Generic class

We are all familiar with defining a class in Java as something like “public class Foo extends Frame implements ActionListener”.  This still remains the same under Generics, except that an optional set of type parameters have been added.  Again the type parameters are placed between < and >. A generic class can have multiple type parameters and, as with type arguments, they are separated by commas.

So far, you have worked with generic classes that are already provided by J2SE 5.0 SDK. In this exercise, you are going to create your own Generic class and then use the class in your code.

(4.1) Create a generic class, Pair<F, S>

1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects.
  • Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in MyOwnGenericClass as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in MyOwnGenericClass.
  • Click Finish.

  • Observe that MyOwnGenericClass project appears and IDE generated MyOwnGenericClass.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.

2. Modify the IDE generated MyOwnGenericClass.java as shown in Code-4.11 below.  Note that the code creates an object instance of Pair<Number, String>.  You will define Pair<F, S> in the subsequent step.

public class MyOwnGenericClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class.  Let’s call it p1.
Number n1 = new Integer(5);
String s1 = new String(“Sun”);
Pair<Number,String> p1 = new Pair<Number,String>(n1, s1);

// The following line of code should generate compile error
// Pair<Number,String> p2 = new Pair<Number,String>(new Integer(4), new Integer(3));

System.out.println(“first of p1 (right after creation) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p2  (right after creation) = ” + p1.getSecond());

// Set internal variables of p1.
p1.setFirst(new Long(6L));
p1.setSecond(new String(“rises”));
System.out.println(“first of p1(after setting values) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p1 (after setting values) = ” + p1.getSecond());
}

}

Code-4.11: MyOwnGenericClass.java

3. Write Pair.java as shown in Code-4.12 below.

public class Pair<F, S> {
F first;  S second;

public Pair(F f, S s) {
first = f;  second = s;
}

public void setFirst(F f){
first = f;
}

public F getFirst(){
return first;
}

public void setSecond(S s){
second = s;
}

public S getSecond(){
return second;
}
}

Code-4.12: Pair.java

4. Build and run the project

  • Right click MyOwnGenericClass project and select Run Project.
  • Observe the result in the Output window. (Figure-4.14 below)
first of p1 (right after creation) = 5
second of p2  (right after creation) = Sun
first of p1(after setting values) = 6
second of p1 (after setting values) = rises

Figure-4.14: Result of running MyOwnGenericClass application

(4.2) Use wild card

1. Modify the MyOwnGenericClass.java as shown in Code-4.21 below.  The code fragments that need to be added are highlighted in bold and blue-colored font.

public class MyOwnGenericClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class.  Let’s call it p1.
Number n1 = new Integer(5);
String s1 = new String(“Sun”);
Pair<Number,String> p1 = new Pair<Number,String>(n1, s1);
System.out.println(“first of p1 (right after creation) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p2  (right after creation) = ” + p1.getSecond());

// Set internal variables of p1.
p1.setFirst(new Long(6L));
p1.setSecond(new String(“rises”));
System.out.println(“first of p1(after setting values) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p1 (after setting values) = ” + p1.getSecond());

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class using wildcard type arguments.
Number n2 = new Integer(15);
String s2 = new String(“again”);
Pair<?, ?> p2 = new Pair<Number, String>(n2, s2);
System.out.println(“first of p2 = ” + p2.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p2 = ” + p2.getSecond());

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class using wildcard with bounded type arguments.
Number n3 = new Integer(25);
String s3 = new String(“and again!”);
Pair<? extends String, ?> p3 = new Pair<String, String>(s3, s3);
System.out.println(“first of p3 = ” + p3.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p3 = ” + p3.getSecond());
}

}

Code-4.21: MyOwnGenericClass.java

2. Build and run the project

  • Right click MyOwnGenericClass project and select Run Project.
  • Observe the result in the Output window. (Figure-4.24 below)
first of p1 (right after creation) = 5
second of p2  (right after creation) = Sun
first of p1(after setting values) = 6
second of p1 (after setting values) = rises
first of p2 = 15
second of p2 = again
first of p3 = and again!
second of p3 = and again!

Figure-4.24: Result of running MyOwnGenericClass1 application

(4.3) Create another Generic class, PairExtended<F, S, T>

Now you are going to create a definition of another generic class, PairExtended<F, S, T>, which extends Pair<F, S> you created in previous step.

1. Write PairExtended.java as shown in Code-4.32 below.  Study the code by paying special attention to the bold fonted parts.

public class PairExtended <F, S, T> extends Pair<F, S> {

T third;

/** Creates a new instance of PairExtended */
PairExtended(F f, S s, T t){
super(f, s);
third = t;
}

public T getThird(){
return third;
}
}

Code-4.32: PrintStringsThread.java

2. Modify the MyOwnGenericClass.java as shown in Code-4.33 below.  The code fragments that need to be added are highlighted in bold and blue-colored font.

public class MyOwnGenericClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class.  Let’s call it p1.
Number n1 = new Integer(5);
String s1 = new String(“Sun”);
Pair<Number,String> p1 = new Pair<Number,String>(n1, s1);
System.out.println(“first of p1 (right after creation) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p2  (right after creation) = ” + p1.getSecond());

// Set internal variables of p1.
p1.setFirst(new Long(6L));
p1.setSecond(new String(“rises”));
System.out.println(“first of p1(after setting values) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p1 (after setting values) = ” + p1.getSecond());

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class using wildcard type arguments.
Number n2 = new Integer(15);
String s2 = new String(“again”);
Pair<?, ?> p2 = new Pair<Number, String>(n2, s2);
System.out.println(“first of p2 = ” + p2.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p2 = ” + p2.getSecond());

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class using wildcard with bounded type arguments.
Number n3 = new Integer(25);
String s3 = new String(“and again!”);
Pair<? extends String, ?> p3 = new Pair<String, String>(s3, s3);
System.out.println(“first of p3 = ” + p3.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p3 = ” + p3.getSecond());

// Create an instance of PairExtended<F, S, T> class with concrete type arguments,
// <Number, String, Integer>
Number n4 = new Long(3000L);
String s4 = new String(“james”);
Integer i4 = new Integer(7);
PairExtended<Number, String, Integer> pe4
= new PairExtended<Number, String, Integer>(n4, s4, i4);
System.out.println(“first of PairExtended = ” + pe4.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of PairExtended = ” + pe4.getSecond());
System.out.println(“third of PairExtended = ” + pe4.getThird());
}

}

Code-4.33: TwoStrings.java

3. Build and run the project

  • Right click MyOwnGenericClass project and select Run Project.
  • Observe the result in the Output window. (Figure-4.34 below)
first of p1 (right after creation) = 5
second of p2  (right after creation) = Sun
first of p1(after setting values) = 6
second of p1 (after setting values) = rises
first of p2 = 15
second of p2 = again
first of p3 = and again!
second of p3 = and again!
first of PairExtended = 3000
second of PairExtended = james
third of PairExtended = 7

Figure-4.34: Result of running MyOwnGenericClass application

(4.4) Use another generic type as a parameter

Add new code fragment to Main.java as shown in Code-54 below. The code fragment that needs to be added is highlighted with bold font. This code fragment contains lines of code in which invocation of PairExtended<F,S,T> generic class with concrete type arguments.  This time, the third type argument is set to an instance of another collection class, ArrayList<Integer>.

1. Modify MyOwnGenericClass.java as shown in Code-4.41 below.  The code fragments that need to be added are highlighted in bold and blue-colored font.

import java.util.ArrayList;

public class MyOwnGenericClass {

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class.  Let’s call it p1.
Number n1 = new Integer(5);
String s1 = new String(“Sun”);
Pair<Number,String> p1 = new Pair<Number,String>(n1, s1);
System.out.println(“first of p1 (right after creation) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p2  (right after creation) = ” + p1.getSecond());

// Set internal variables of p1.
p1.setFirst(new Long(6L));
p1.setSecond(new String(“rises”));
System.out.println(“first of p1(after setting values) = ” + p1.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p1 (after setting values) = ” + p1.getSecond());

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class using wildcard type arguments.
Number n2 = new Integer(15);
String s2 = new String(“again”);
Pair<?, ?> p2 = new Pair<Number, String>(n2, s2);
System.out.println(“first of p2 = ” + p2.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p2 = ” + p2.getSecond());

// Create an instance of Pair <F, S> class using wildcard with bounded type arguments.
Number n3 = new Integer(25);
String s3 = new String(“and again!”);
Pair<? extends String, ?> p3 = new Pair<String, String>(s3, s3);
System.out.println(“first of p3 = ” + p3.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of p3 = ” + p3.getSecond());

// Create an instance of PairExtended<F, S, T> class with concrete type arguments,
// <Number, String, Integer>
Number n4 = new Long(3000L);
String s4 = new String(“james”);
Integer i4 = new Integer(7);
PairExtended<Number, String, Integer> pe4
= new PairExtended<Number, String, Integer>(n4, s4, i4);
System.out.println(“first of PairExtended = ” + pe4.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of PairExtended = ” + pe4.getSecond());
System.out.println(“third of PairExtended = ” + pe4.getThird());

// Create an instance of PairExtended<F. S, T> class with
// with ArrayList<E> as a third type argument.
ArrayList<Integer> ar4 = new ArrayList<Integer>();       // Right-click this line and select Fix Imports first
ar4.add(6000);
ar4.add(7000);
PairExtended<Number, String, ArrayList<Integer>> pe5
= new PairExtended<Number, String, ArrayList<Integer>>(n4, s4, ar4);
System.out.println(“first of PairExtended with ArrayList = ” + pe5.getFirst());
System.out.println(“second of PairExtended with ArrayList = ” + pe5.getSecond());
System.out.println(“third of PairExtended with ArrayList = ” + pe5.getThird());
}

}

Code-4.41: MyOwnGenericClass.java

2. Build and run the project

  • Right click MyOwnGenericClass project and select Run Project.
  • Observe the result in the Output window. (Figure-4.34 below)
first of p1 (right after creation) = 5
second of p2  (right after creation) = Sun
first of p1(after setting values) = 6
second of p1 (after setting values) = rises
first of p2 = 15
second of p2 = again
first of p3 = and again!
second of p3 = and again!
first of PairExtended = 3000
second of PairExtended = james
third of PairExtended = 7
first of PairExtended with ArrayList = 3000
second of PairExtended with ArrayList = james
third of PairExtended with ArrayList = [6000, 7000]

Code-4.42: Result

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/MyOwnGenericClass.  You can just open it and run it.

Summary

In this exercise, you learned how to create your own generic class and how to use it.

Exercise 5: Type erasure

Generics are implemented by the Java compiler as a front-end conversion called type erasure. You can (almost) think of it as a source-to-source translation, whereby the generic version of your code is converted to the non-generic version.  Basically, type erasure gets rid of (or erases) all generic type information. All the type information between angle brackets is thrown out, so, for example, a parameterized type like List<String> is converted into a raw type List and similarly List<Date> is converted into List. All remaining uses of type variables are replaced by the upper bound of the type variable (usually Object). And, whenever the resulting code isn’t type-correct, a cast to the appropriate type is inserted.

The two important things about type erasure are 
  • Assuming all code is compiled under 5.0 and uses parameterized types you can guarantee that you won’t get a ClassCastException at runtime
  • There is full backwards compatibility with existing compiled code that was generated with pre-J2SE 5.0 compilers

(5.1) Type erasure example 1

1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects. Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in TypeErasure as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in TypeErasure.
  • Click Finish.
  • Observe that TypeErasure project appears and IDE generated TypeErasure.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.

2. Modify the IDE generated TypeErasure.java as shown in Code-5.11 below.

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.List;

public class TypeErasure {

static void printCollection(Collection<? extends Number> c){
for (Object o: c)
System.out.println(o);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Display class information of the various ArrayList instances
ArrayList<Integer> ai = new ArrayList<Integer>();
System.out.println(“Class of ArrayList<Integer> = ” + ai.getClass());
List<Integer> li = new ArrayList<Integer>();
System.out.println(“Class of List<Integer> = ” + li.getClass());
ArrayList<String> as = new ArrayList<String>();
System.out.println(“Class of ArrayList<String> = ” + as.getClass());
ArrayList ar = new ArrayList();
System.out.println(“Class of ArrayList  = ” + ar.getClass());

// Check if two ArrayList instances with different type parameters
// (one with Integer and the other with String) share the same class (bytecode).
//
Boolean b1 = (ai.getClass() == as.getClass());
System.out.println(“Do ArrayList<Integer> and ArrayList<String> share same class? ” + b1);

// Check if two ArrayList instances with different type parameters
// (one with Integer and the other with raw type) share the same class (bytecode).
//
Boolean b2 = (ai.getClass() == ar.getClass());
System.out.println(“Do ArrayList<Integer> and ArrayList (raw type) share same class? ” + b2);

}

}

Code-5.11: TypeErasure.java

3. Build and run the project

  • Right click TypeErasure project and select Run Project.
  • Observe the result in the Output window. (Figure-5.15 below)
Class of ArrayList<Integer> = class java.util.ArrayList
Class of List<Integer> = class java.util.ArrayList
Class of ArrayList<String> = class java.util.ArrayList
Class of ArrayList  = class java.util.ArrayList
Do ArrayList<Integer> and ArrayList<String> share same class? true
Do ArrayList<Integer> and ArrayList (raw type) share same class? true

Figure-5.15: Result of running TypeErasure application

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/TypeErasure.  You can just open it and run it.

(5.2) Type erasure example 2

1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects. Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in TypeErasure2 as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in TypeErasure2.
  • Click Finish.
  • Observe that TypeErasure2 project appears and IDE generated TypeErasure2.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.
2. Modify the IDE generated TypeErasure2.java as shown in Code-5.21 below.

import java.util.List;
import java.util.Vector;

public class TypeErasure2 {

public static void main(String[] args) {
//
// Get class and type information of a collection class
//
List<Number> ln5 = new Vector<Number>(20);
Class c3  = ln5.getClass();                                       // Right-click this line and select Fix Imports first
System.out.println(“Class of List<Number>  =” + c3);

Class [] c4 = c3.getInterfaces();                                // Right-click this line and select Fix Imports first
for (Class c: c4){
System.out.println(“Interface = ” + c);
}

Class c5 = c3.getSuperclass();
System.out.println(“Superclass = ” + c5);
}

}

Code-5.21: TypeErasure2.java
3. Build and run the project
  • Right click TypeErasure2 project and select Run Project.
  • Observe the result in the Output window. (Figure-5.25 below)
Class of List<Number>  =class java.util.Vector
Interface = interface java.util.List
Interface = interface java.util.RandomAccess
Interface = interface java.lang.Cloneable
Interface = interface java.io.Serializable
Superclass = class java.util.AbstractList
Figure-5.25: Result of running TypeErasure2 application

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/TypeErasure2.  You can just open it and run it.

Summary

 In this exercise, you learned the concept of type erasure.

Exercise 6: Interoperating with non-generic code

In this exercise, you will learn how generic and non-generic codes are used together. You will also learn about unchecked exception.

(6.1) Schedule one-time task

1. Create a new NetBeans project

  • Select File->New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). The New Project dialog box appears.
  • Under Choose Project pane, select Java under Categories and Java Application under Projects. Click Next.
  • Under Name and Location pane, for the Project Name field, type in GenericsInteroperability as project name.
  • For Create Main Class field, type in GenericsInteroperability.
  • Click Finish.
  • Observe that GenericsInteroperability project appears and IDE generated GenericsInteroperability.java is displayed in the source editor window of NetBeans IDE.

2. Modify the IDE generated GenericsInteroperability.java as shown in Code-6.11 below.  Study the code by paying special attention to the bold fonted parts.

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.List;

public class GenericsInteroperability {

public static void main(String[] args) {

List<String> ls = new LinkedList<String>();
List lraw = ls;
lraw.add(new Integer(4));
String s = ls.iterator().next();
}

}

Code-6.11: GenericsInteroperability.java

3. Compile the file.

  • Right click GenericsInteroperability.java and select Compile file. (Or Right click GenericsInteroperability project and select Build Project.)
  • Observe the waring message below.  Note that the compiler warns unchecked or unsafe operation.
Compiling 1 source file to C:\javase5generics\samples\GenericsInteroperability\build\classes
Note: C:\javase5generics\samples\GenericsInteroperability\src\GenericsInteroperability.java uses unchecked or unsafe operations.
Note: Recompile with -Xlint:unchecked for details.

Figure-6.12: Warning message

4. Run the project

  • Right click GenericsInteroperability project and select Run Project.
  • Observe the runtime ClassCastException. (Figure-6.13 below)  This is highly undesirable. (This is not type-safe.)  Because of this reason, it is highly recommended that you do not invoke non-Generic code whenever possible.


Figure-6.13: Result of running UnGenericsInteroperability application

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/GenericsInteroperabilityWarning.  You can just open it and run it.

4. Modify the  GenericsInteroperability.java as shown in Code-6.14 below.  The code fragment that needs to be removed (or commented out) is highlighted in bold and red-colored font while the code fragment that needs to be added is highlighted in bold and blue-colored font.

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.List;

public class GenericsInteroperability {

public static void main(String[] args) {

List<String> ls = new LinkedList<String>();
//List lraw = ls;
//lraw.add(new Integer(4));
List<String> ls2 = ls;
ls2.add(new Integer(4));        // Compile error
String s = ls.iterator().next();
}

}

Code-6.14: GenericsInteroperability.java

5. You should experience the compile error, which means you were able to detect type mismatch problem during the compile time rather than during runtime.  (Figure-6.15 below)


Figure-6.15: Compile time type mismatch detection

NetBeans project: This exercise up to this point is provided as a ready-to-open-and-run NetBeans project as part of hands-on lab zip file. You can find it as  <LAB_UNZIPPED_DIRECTORY>/javase5generics/samples/GenericsInteroperabilityCompileError.

Summary

In this exercise, you learned how generic and non-generic code are used together.  You alo learned when unchecked exception would occur.

 

 

Homework exercise (for people who are taking Sang Shin’s “Java Programming online course”)

 

1. The homework is to modify MyOwnGenericClass NetBeans project you’ve done in Exercise 5 above as following.  (You might want to create a new project by copying the MyOwnGenericClass project.  You can name the homework project in any way you want but here I am going to call it MyMyOwnGenericClass.)

  • Create PairExtendedAgain(F, S, T, F1) generic class by extending PairExtended(F, S, T)
  • Modify Main.java class to invoke PairExtendedAgain(F, S, T, F1) class with concrete type arguments <Integer, Long, Object, Boolean>
  • Build and run the project

 

2. Send the following files to javaprogramminghomework@sun.com with Subject as JavaIntro-javase5generics.
  • Zip file of the the MyMyOwnGenericClass NetBeans project.  (Someone else should be able to open and run it as a NetBeans project.)  You can use your favorite zip utility or you can use “jar” utility that comes with JDK as following.
    • cd <parent directory that contains MyMyOwnGenericClass directory> (assuming you named your project as MyMyOwnGenericClass)
    • jar cvf MyMyOwnGenericClass.zip MyMyOwnGenericClass (MyMyOwnGenericClass should contain nbproject directory)
  • Captured output screen  – name it as JavaIntro-javase5generics.gif or JavaIntro-javase5generics.jpg (or JavaIntro-javase5generics.<whatver graphics format>)
    • Any screen capture that shows that your program is working is good enough.  No cosmetic polishment is required.
  • If you decide to use different IDE other than NetBeans, the zip file should contain all the files that are needed for rebuilding the project.

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