> I think a better name would be "defaultToString" since it is the default > toString from Object. However, I haven't ever heard anyone else request > easier access to the default toString before so I'm not convinced this > should go into Objects. > > -Joe
One use case is implementing toString for identity maps and collections. The current IdentityHashMap is immune to poison objects except for its toString implementation. http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6579224 Another point of confusion is that the toString does not match what is going on in equals. Take the following code: public static void main(String[] args) { Map<Integer, Integer> dis = new IdentityHashMap<Integer, Integer>(one()); Map<Integer, Integer> dat = new IdentityHashMap<Integer, Integer>(one()); System.out.println(dis.equals(dat)); System.out.println(dis.toString().equals(dat.toString())); } private static Map<Integer, Integer> one() { Integer kv = new Integer(256); return Collections.singletonMap(kv, kv); } It prints false and then true. If defaultToString was used on the key/value pairs it would print false and then false making it clear why the two maps are not equal. Something to consider if a new reference map or identity map is added to the JDK (jsr166/extra166y). Jason _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222984/direct/01/
