Java Generics

The reading on generics begins with a variety of classes that represent boxed values. You can find the code for some of those classes in the repository for this lab.

a. One approach to generic code is to just store objects. The BoxedObject class represents that approach. Write a simple main class that allows you to experiment with BoxedObject values. In particular, your experiment should include the following.

b. Write a simple main class that contains an experiment that uses the generic Box<T> class to build boxes with different types and that verifies that this class works as advertised. Your experiment should include the following:

c. Reflect on what, if anything, you've taken from these experiments.

a. Boxes seem to be able to contain any kind of object. Can a box contain another box? In particular, do you think we should be able to write something like the following?

    String s1 = "Hello";
    Box<String> box1 = new Box<String>(s1);
    Box<Box<String>> bbox1 = new Box<Box<String>>(box1);

b. Check your answer experimentally.

c. Write code that changes the contents of bbox1 directly or indirectly. (Do not refer to s1 or box1 in making those changes.)

d. Reflect on what, if anything, you've taken from these experiments.

a. Determine experimentally whether you can assign an object of type Box<Integer> to a variable of type Box<Object>. If so, attempt to replicate the troublesome code from the reading. If not, take a note of what the error message says.

b. Do you think the following code should be legal? Why or why not?

  Box<Integer> ibox = new Box<Integer>(new Integer(5));
  Box<Object> obox = (Box<Objecdt>) ibox;

c. Check your answer experimentally.

d. Reflect on the implications of these experiments.

One deficiency of the current Box class is that it lacks an equals method. When should a boxed value equal another value? In two cases: If the other contents of the box equals the other value or if the the other value is also a box and the contents of the two boxes ar ethe same.

a. Add an equals method to Box that follows these guidelines. (If you have trouble writing this method, you can glance ahead to part c and use the first method you find there.)

b. Use something like the following experiment to check whether or not your equals method seems to work correctly.

package taojava.generics;

import java.io.PrintWriter;

/**
 * An experiment that lets us behave the behavior of various
 * equals methods.
 */
public class BoxEqualsExpt
{
  public static void observeEquals(PrintWriter pen, String prefix,
     Object o1, Object o2)
  {
    pen.print(prefix + ": ");
    pen.println("Does " + o1 + " equal " + o2 + "?: " + o1.equals(o2));
  } // check(PrintWriter, Box, Box)

  public static void main(String args[])
    throws Exception
  {
    PrintWriter pen = new PrintWriter(System.out, true);
    String s1 = "Hello";
    String s2 = "H" + "Yello".substring(1);
    String s3 = "Hello World".substring(0,5);
    String s4 = "hello";
    Box<String> box1 = new Box<String>(s1);
    Box<String> box2 = new Box<String>(s2);
    Box<Box<String>> bbox1 = new Box<Box<String>>(box1);
    Box<Box<String>> bbox2 = new Box<Box<String>>(box2);
    Box<Integer> ibox1 = new Box<Integer>(new Integer(42));

    observeEquals(pen, "s1/s1", s1, s1);
    observeEquals(pen, "s1/s2", s1, s2);
    observeEquals(pen, "s1/s3", s1, s3);
    observeEquals(pen, "s1/s4", s1, s4);

    observeEquals(pen, "b1/s1", box1, s1);
    observeEquals(pen, "b1/s2", box1, s2);
    observeEquals(pen, "b1/s3", box1, s3);
    observeEquals(pen, "b1/s4", box1, s4);
    observeEquals(pen, "b1/b1", box1, box1);
    observeEquals(pen, "b1/b2", box1, box2);

    observeEquals(pen, "b2/s1", box2, s1);
    observeEquals(pen, "b2/s2", box2, s2);
    observeEquals(pen, "b2/s3", box2, s3);
    observeEquals(pen, "b2/s4", box2, s4);
    observeEquals(pen, "b2/b1", box2, box1);
    observeEquals(pen, "b2/b2", box2, box2);

    observeEquals(pen, "s1/b1", s1, box1);

    observeEquals(pen, "bb1/bb1", bbox1, bbox1);
    observeEquals(pen, "bb1/bb2", bbox1, bbox2);
    observeEquals(pen, "bb1/b1", bbox1, box1);
    observeEquals(pen, "bb1/s1", bbox1, s1);
    observeEquals(pen, "b1/bb1", box1, bbox1);
    observeEquals(pen, "s1/bb1", s1, bbox1);

    observeEquals(pen, "b1/i1", box1, ibox1);
    observeEquals(pen, "i1/b1", ibox1, box1);

    pen.close();
  } //  main(String[])
} // BoxEqualsExpt

c. Consider the following implementations of the equals method. Which do you prefer? Why? Which does Java permit? Why?

  public boolean equals(Object other)
  { 
    if (other instanceof Box)
      {
        Box that = (Box) other;
        return this.contents.equals(that.contents);
      } // it's a box
    else
      {
        return this.contents.equals(other);
      } // it's not a box
  } // equals(Object)

  public boolean equals(Object other)
  { 
    return (this.contents.equals(other) ||
      (other instanceof Box) && (this.contents.equals(((Box) other).contents)));
  } // equals(Object)

  public boolean equals(Object other)
  {
    if (other instanceof Box<T>)
      {
        Box<T> that = (Box<T>) other;
        return this.contents.equals(that.contents);
      } // it's a box of the same type
    else if (other instanceof T)
      {
        return this.contents.equals((T) other);
      } // it's the same type
    else
      {
        return false;
      } // Nothing sensible
  } // equals(Object)

  public boolean equals(Object other)
  { 
    if (other instanceof Box)
      {
        Box that = (Box) other;
        return this.contents.equals(that.contents);
      } // it's a box
    else if (this.contents.equals(other))
      {
        return true;
      } // if our contents equals the other value
    else 
      {
        return other.equals(this);
      } // default case
  } // equals(Object)

  public boolean equals(Object other)
  { 
    if (other instanceof Box)
      {
        Box that = (Box) other;
        return this.contents.equals(that.contents);
      } // it's a box
    else if (this.contents.equals(other))
      {
        return true;
      } // if our contents equals the other value
    else 
      {
        return other.equals(this.contents);
      } // default case
  } // equals(Object)

d. Reflect on what you learned from these experiments.

Predict the answer to each of the following and then check your answers experimentally. In your experiments, you will likely need to create a constructor for the class.

a. Can a generic class extend another generic class? For example, can a class NewBox<T> extend Box<T>?

b. Can a non-generic class extend a generic class? For example, can NewBox extend Box<T>?

c. Can a non-generic class extend an instantiated generic class? For example,, BoxedString extend Box<String>?

d. What effect does the type of the instantiated superclass have on the abilty to extend. Can the following BoxedString extend Box<Object>?

public class BoxedString
  extends Box<Object>
{
  public BoxedString(String s)
  {
    super(s);
  } // BoxedString(String)

  public String get()
  {
    return super.get();
  } // get()

  public void put(String val)
  {
    super.put(val);
  } // put(String)
} // class BoxedString

e. Can a generic class extend a nongeneric class? Box.

public class Box<T>
  extends BoxedObject
{
  public Box(T val)
  {
    super(val);
  } // Box(T)

  public T get()
  {
    return super.get();
  } // get()

  public void put(T val)
  {
    super.put(val);
  } // put(T)
} // class Box<T>

f. Reflect on what, if anything, you learned from these experiments.

The reading on generics shows how we build a generic “expandable array” class. You'll find that generic class in the repository for this lab.

a. Read through SEAExpt.java and predict what the output will be.

b. Compile and run SEAExpt.java to see what the output is.

c. Create an expandable array of strings, assign some values to it, and print them out. Here's a start.

  ExpandableArray<String> strings =
      new SimpleExpandableArray<String>();
  ...
  for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
    {
      pen.println("strings[" + i + "] = " + strings.get(i));
    } // for

d. What do you expect to happen if you assign a string to an element of numbers or a number to an element of strings??

e. Check your answer experimentally.

f. What do you expect to happen if we leave out the type when we construct numbers, as in the following?

  ExpandableArray<BigInteger> numbers =
      new SimpleExpandableArray();

g. Check your answer experimentally.

h. What do you expect to happen if we leave out the type when we declare strings, as in the following?

  ExpandableArray strings =
      new SimpleExpandableArray();

i. Check your answer experimentally.

j. Summarize what you've learned in these exercises.

The reading on generics shows how we build a generic search method. You'll find that code in the repository.

a. Read through SearchExpt.java and predict what the output will be.

b. Compile and run SearchExpt.java to see what the output is.

d. What do you expect to happen if you try to search strings with odd or numbers with small?

e. Check your answer experimentally.

f. What do you expect to happen if we try to generalize the declaration of strings, as in the following?

    Object[] strings = new Object[] { ... };

g. Check your answer experimentally.

h. Revise the short predicate so that it takes an object as a parameter, converts it to a string, and sees if it has fewer than five characters. Do you expect that new predicate to work with the updated strings?

i. Check your answer experimentally.

j. Summarize what you've learned in these exercises.

a. What do you expect to happen if we restore the original declaration of strings and use the new version of small?

    String[] strings = new String[] { ... };
    ...
    Predicate<Object> small = 
      new Predicate<Object>()
        {
          @Override
          public boolean holds(Object val)
          {
            return (val.toString().length() < 5);
          } // holds(Object)
        }; // new Predicate<Object>
    ...
    pen.println("A small string: " + SearchUtils.search(strings, small));

b. Check your answer experimentally.

c. What do you expect to happen if we use the new small predicate to search numbers?

    pen.println("A small integer: " + SearchUtils.search(numbers, small));

d. Check your answer experimentally.

e. Summarize what you've learned in this exercise.

Finish the following alternate implementation of ExpandableArray

public class VectorBasedExpandableArray
{
  Vector<T> values;
  ...
} // class VectorBasedExpandableArray