Overriding clone() in Java 5 (with generics)?

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Ulrich Hobelmann - 20 Jul 2006 16:49 GMT

Hi, is there any way I can have a typesafe clone() in Java 5?

I have a subclass of LinkedList<T>, but calling clone() causes warnings,
and typecasting to (MyList<T>) doesn't work either.

I overrode public MyList<T> clone() in my list class, but calling
super.clone() again caused the same problem, so there's no way out ;)

How do you make clone() typesafe (or typesafely call it), and compile
without complaints? As I only made some minor modifications to
LinkedList, I basically refuse to write my own clone() (say, with addAll()).

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Hendrik Maryns - 20 Jul 2006 17:00 GMT

Ulrich Hobelmann schreef:

> Hi, is there any way I can have a typesafe clone() in Java 5?
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> LinkedList, I basically refuse to write my own clone() (say, with
> addAll()).

Unfortunately, the java.util classes did not use the covariant return
possibility in Java 5 and reimplemented clone(). The problem is
backwards compatibility: subclasses would have to be reimplemented as
well. So you’ll have to use @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") if you want
to get rid of the warning.

H.

- --
Hendrik Maryns

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Overriding clone() in Java 5 (with generics)?

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