sealed classes, records and enums

Sometimes we write something for the book, only to realize it shouldn’t be in the book. This post is an example. Do you think this legal?

public sealed interface MySealedClass permits MyRecord, MyEnum {
}

record MyRecord() implements MySealedClass {}

enum MyEnum implements MySealedClass { VALUE }

It is! A sealed interface can be implemented by any Java type. Which means records and enums are included.

Interesting change in calling methods in Java 17

We have this code in our Java 11 practice exam book. What do you think it prints?

public class Hippo {
    private static void hippo(short num1, short num2) {
        System.out.println("shorts");
    }
    private static void hippo(int... nums) {
        System.out.println("varargs");
    }
    private void hippo(long num1, long num2) {
        System.out.println("longs");
    }
    private void hippo(int num1, int num2) {
        System.out.println("nums");
    }
    public static void main(String... args) {
        hippo(1, 5);
    } }

Reasoning it through, we know, it doesn’t print longs or nums because the main() is static and therefore we can’t be calling an instance methods. The answer is varargs because we have ints. This seems nice and reasonable.

I then ran the same code in Java 17 and it doesn’t compile!

% java17 Hippo.java
Hippo.java:15: error: non-static method hippo(int,int) cannot be referenced from a static context
hippo(1, 5);
^
1 error
error: compilation failed

i do agree that hippo(int, int) can’t be called. I was surprised at the behavior where it no longer compiles. If I remove the two instance variables, Java still prints varargs like I was expecting.

[devnexus 2022] pattern matching for Java

Speaker: Neha Sardana

Twitter: @nehasardana09

Link to table of contents

———————

Records

<missed this part; I was late>

Sealed class

  • Want to control children
  • More declarative than access modifiers
  • Can make widely accessible interface without widely extensible
  • Sets stage for pattern matching.

Pattern Matching

  • Pattern matching created in 1960s
  • Helps with clean code, avoiding repetition/bugs

Instanceof

  • matches target object to type pattern
  • sets binding variable – special case of local variables, can be assigned, can shadow field declarations
  • flow scoping – places in program where variable definitely assigned

Switch expressions

  • Limitations on switch/case are accidents of history.
  • Java 17 preview allows pattern matching in case
  • Java 19 – write ”when” instead of && in case
  • Can assign result if all cases covered. (enums and sealed classes can be listed exhaustively

Future

  • Record patterns (deconstrution patterns). ex if (r instanceof Rectangle (Point ul, Point lr))
  • Can also deconstruct arrays

My take

I thought this topic woud be fully review, but I still learned something (“when”). It was great to see Neha’s first public in person presentation! Good job!