RE: Java 1.5, fun with lookups and generics

[Leo Sutic]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jonathan Hawkes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> Sent: den 28 januari 2004 20:08
> To: Avalon Developers List
> Subject: Re: Java 1.5, fun with lookups and generics
> 
> 
> > OK, *that* is something that can't be statically checked. 
> The upside 
> > is that we've isolated the *only* part that can't be statically 
> > checked, and we've isolated it in the container:
> >
> >             try {
> >                 return (T) o; // unchecked cast to type T 
> here, should 
> > be fine.
> >             } catch (Throwable t) {
> >                 return null;
> >             }
> >
> > /LS
> 
> So, in the container code, we could have something like this:
> 
> if (o instanceof T) {
>     return o;
> } else {
>     throw new StupidAvalonProgrammerException(); // instead 
> of ClassCastException }

Something like that - except you can't do that.

The type parameter T gets "erased" so *at runtime*, T = Object.
This makes your test:

    if (o instanceof Object) {
        return o;
    } else {
        throw new StupidAvalonProgrammerException();
    }

What you have to do is:

    public <T> T lookup (Class<T> expectedClass, String key) throws
Exception {
        Object o = doGet (key);
        if (expectedClass.isAssignableFrom (o.getClass ())) {
            return (T) o; // unchecked cast to type T here, should be
fine.
        } else {
            throw new StupidAvalonProgrammerException();
        }                
    }

And use it client-side like this:

    MyComponent comp = sm.lookup (MyComponent.class, "MyComponent");

You can also use a helper method for the cases when 
key == expectedClass.getName ():

    public <T> T lookup (Class<T> expectedClass) throws Exception {
        return lookup (expectedClass, expectedClass.getName ());
    }

And write:

    MyComponent comp = sm.lookup (MyComponent.class);

(Everyone confused yet, or shall I have another go at it?)

/LS



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