Builder pattern for polymorphic object hierarchy: possible with Java?

The solution I imagine is like the Curiously Recurring Template Pattern, or CRTP. You can define a base class to handle the parent-related initialization, but you still may find the two boilerplate getParent() and getThis() methods to be too much repetition in each derived child-related builder class.

Take a look:

abstract class ParentBase implements Parent
{
  @Override
  public final Long getParentProperty()
  {
      return parentProperty_;
  }


  protected void setParentProperty(Long value)
  {
      parentProperty_ = value;
  }


  private Long parentProperty_;
}


abstract class ParentBuilder<T extends ParentBuilder<T>>
{
  T withParentProperty(Long value)
  {
      getParent().setParentProperty(value);
      return getThis();
  }


  protected abstract ParentBase getParent();


  protected abstract T getThis();
}


final class ConcreteChild1 extends ParentBase implements Child1
{
  @Override
  public Integer getChild1Property()
  {
      return childProperty_;
  }


  public void setChild1Property(Integer value)
  {
      childProperty_ = value;
  }


  private Integer childProperty_;
}


final class Child1Builder extends ParentBuilder<Child1Builder>
{
  public Child1Builder()
  {
     pending_ = new ConcreteChild1();
  }


  public Child1Builder withChild1Property(Integer value)
  {
      pending_.setChild1Property(value);
      return this;
  }


  @Override
  protected ParentBase getParent()
  {
      return pending_;
  }


  @Override
  protected Child1Builder getThis()
  {
      return this;
  }


  private final ConcreteChild1 pending_;
}

As you can see, the ParentBuilder type expects to be cooperating with a derived type to allow it to return a properly-typed instance. Its own this reference won't due, because the type of this within ParentBuilder is, of course, ParentBuilder, and not, say, Child1Builder as intended to maintain the "fluent" call chaining.

I owe the "getThis() trick" to Angelika Langer's tutorial entry.

Here is a solution that uses generics.

public abstract class ParentBuilder<T extends ParentBuilder<T>> {
    private long parentProperty;

    protected abstract T self();

    public T withParentProperty(long parentProperty) {
        this.parentProperty = parentProperty;
        return self();
    }

    protected static class SimpleParent implements Parent {
        private long parentProperty;

        public SimpleParent(ParentBuilder<?> builder) {
            this.parentProperty = builder.parentProperty;
        }

        @Override
        public Long getParentProperty() {
            return parentProperty;
        }
    }
}

public final class Child1Builder extends ParentBuilder<Child1Builder> {
    private int child1Property;

    private Child1Builder() {}

    public static Child1Builder newChild1() {
        return new Child1Builder();
    }

    @Override
    protected Child1Builder self() {
        return this;
    }

    public Child1Builder withChild1Property(int child1Property) {
        this.child1Property = child1Property;
        return self();
    }

    public Child1 build() {
        return new SimpleChild1(this);
    }

    private final class SimpleChild1 extends SimpleParent implements Child1 {
        private int child1Property;

        public SimpleChild1(Child1Builder builder) {
            super(builder);
            this.child1Property = builder.child1Property;
        }

        @Override
        public Integer getChild1Property() {
            return child1Property;
        }
    }
}

public final class Child2Builder extends ParentBuilder<Child2Builder> {

    private String child2propertyA;
    private Object child2propertyB;

    private Child2Builder() {}

    public static Child2Builder newChild2() {
        return new Child2Builder();
    }

    @Override
    protected Child2Builder self() {
        return this;
    }

    public Child2Builder withChild2PropertyA(String child2propertyA) {
        this.child2propertyA = child2propertyA;
        return self();
    }

    public Child2Builder withChild2PropertyB(Object child2propertyB) {
        this.child2propertyB = child2propertyB;
        return self();
    }

    public Child2 build() {
        return new SimpleChild2(this);
    }

    private static final class SimpleChild2 extends SimpleParent implements Child2 {
        private String child2propertyA;
        private Object child2propertyB;

        public SimpleChild2(Child2Builder builder) {
            super(builder);
            this.child2propertyA = builder.child2propertyA;
            this.child2propertyB = builder.child2propertyB;
        }

        @Override
        public String getChild2PropertyA() {
            return child2propertyA;
        }

        @Override
        public Object getChild2PropertyB() {
            return child2propertyB;
        }
    }
}

For larger hierarchies or ones where concrete classes aren't just at the leaves, it is necessary to extract part of the above concrete builders into an intermediate abstract class. For instance, Child1Builder could be split into the following two classes Child1Builder and AbstractChild1Builder, of which the latter could be extended by yet another child builder.

public abstract class AbstractChild1Builder<T extends AbstractChild1Builder<T>> extends ParentBuilder<T> {

    protected int child1Property;

    public T withChild1Property(int child1Property) {
        this.child1Property = child1Property;
        return self();
    }

    protected final class SimpleChild1 extends SimpleParent implements Child1 {
        private int child1Property;

        public SimpleChild1(AbstractChild1Builder<Child1Builder> builder) {
            super(builder);
            this.child1Property = builder.child1Property;
        }

        @Override
        public Integer getChild1Property() {
            return child1Property;
        }
    }
}

public final class Child1Builder extends AbstractChild1Builder<Child1Builder> {
    private Child1Builder() {}

    public static AbstractChild1Builder<Child1Builder> newChild1() {
        return new Child1Builder();
    }

    @Override
    protected Child1Builder self() {
        return this;
    }

    public Child1 build() {
        return new SimpleChild1(this);
    }   
}

I don't think getParent() and getThis() are necessary, if you're willing to accept the restriction that the withXXXProperty() methods be called from "youngest" to "oldest":

class Parent
{
    private final long parentProperty;

    public long getParentProperty()
    {
        return parentProperty;
    }

    public static abstract class Builder<T extends Parent>
    {
        private long parentProperty;

        public Builder<T> withParentProperty( long parentProperty )
        {
            this.parentProperty = parentProperty;
            return this;
        }

        public abstract T build();
    }

    public static Builder<?> builder()
    {
        return new Builder<Parent>()
        {
            @Override
            public Parent build()
            {
                return new Parent(this);
            }
        };
    }

    protected Parent( Builder<?> builder )
    {
        this.parentProperty = builder.parentProperty;
    }
}

class Child1 extends Parent
{
    private final int child1Property;

    public int getChild1Property()
    {
        return child1Property;
    }

    public static abstract class Builder<T extends Child1> extends Parent.Builder<T>
    {
        private int child1Property;

        public Builder<T> withChild1Property( int child1Property )
        {
            this.child1Property = child1Property;
            return this;
        }

        public abstract T build();
    }

    public static Builder<?> builder()
    {
        return new Builder<Child1>()
        {
            @Override
            public Child1 build()
            {
                return new Child1(this);
            }
        };
    }

    protected Child1( Builder<?> builder )
    {
        super(builder);
        this.child1Property = builder.child1Property;
    }

}

class Child2 extends Parent
{

    private final String child2PropertyA;
    private final Object child2PropertyB;

    public String getChild2PropertyA()
    {
        return child2PropertyA;
    }

    public Object getChild2PropertyB()
    {
        return child2PropertyB;
    }

    public static abstract class Builder<T extends Child2> extends Parent.Builder<T>
    {
        private String child2PropertyA;
        private Object child2PropertyB;

        public Builder<T> withChild2PropertyA( String child2PropertyA )
        {
            this.child2PropertyA = child2PropertyA;
            return this;
        }

        public Builder<T> withChild2PropertyB( Object child2PropertyB )
        {
            this.child2PropertyB = child2PropertyB;
            return this;
        }
    }

    public static Builder<?> builder()
    {
        return new Builder<Child2>()
        {
            @Override
            public Child2 build()
            {
                return new Child2(this);
            }
        };
    }

    protected Child2( Builder<?> builder )
    {
        super(builder);
        this.child2PropertyA = builder.child2PropertyA;
        this.child2PropertyB = builder.child2PropertyB;
    }
}

class BuilderTest
{
    public static void main( String[] args )
    {
        Child1 child1 = Child1.builder()
                .withChild1Property(-3)
                .withParentProperty(5L)
                .build();

        Child2 grandchild = Child2.builder()
                .withChild2PropertyA("hello")
                .withChild2PropertyB(new Object())
                .withParentProperty(10L)
                .build();
    }
}

There's still some boilerplate here: the anonymous concrete Builder in each builder() method, and the super() call in each constructor. (Note: that assumes that every level is designed for further inheritability. If at any point you have a final descendant, you can make the builder class concrete and the constructor private.)

But I think this version is easier to follow, for the next programmer who comes along and has to maintain your code (no self-referential generics, for starters; a Builder<X> builds Xs). And IMHO requiring the child properties to be set on the builder before the parent properties is as much an advantage, in terms of consistency, as it is a disadvantage in terms of flexibility.

maybe like this without builders?:

interface P {
    public Long getParentProperty();
}
interface C1 extends P {
    public Integer getChild1Property();
}
interface C2 extends P {
    public String getChild2PropertyA();
    public Object getChild2PropertyB();
}
abstract class PABC implements P {
    @Override public final Long getParentProperty() {
        return parentLong;
    }
    protected Long parentLong;
    protected PABC setParentProperty(Long value) {
        parentLong = value;
        return this;
    }
}
final class C1Impl extends PABC implements C1 {
    protected C1Impl setParentProperty(Long value) {
        super.setParentProperty(value);
        return this;
    }
    @Override public Integer getChild1Property() {
        return n;
    }
    public C1Impl setChild1Property(Integer value) {
        n = value;
        return this;
    }
    private Integer n;
}
final class C2Impl extends PABC implements C2 {
    private String string;
    private Object object;

    protected C2Impl setParentProperty(Long value) {
        super.setParentProperty(value);
        return this;
    }
    @Override public String getChild2PropertyA() {
    return string;
    }

    @Override public Object getChild2PropertyB() {
        return object;
    }
    C2Impl setChild2PropertyA(String string) {
        this.string=string;
        return this;
    }
    C2Impl setChild2PropertyB(Object o) {
        this.object=o;
        return this;
    }
}
public class Myso9138027 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        C1Impl c1 = new C1Impl().setChild1Property(5).setParentProperty(10L);
        C2Impl c2 = new C2Impl().setChild2PropertyA("Hello").setParentProperty(10L).setChild2PropertyB(new Object());
    }
}