generic class java code example

Example 1: generic argument java

static void fromArrayToCollection(Object[] a, Collection<?> c) {
    for (Object o : a) { 
        c.add(o); // compile-time error
    }
}

Example 2: java generics

// generic methods

public <T> List<T> fromArrayToList(T[] a) {   
	    return Arrays.stream(a).collect(Collectors.toList());
	}

public static <T, G> List<G> fromArrayToList(T[] a, Function<T, G> mapperFunction) {
	    return Arrays.stream(a)
	      .map(mapperFunction)
	      .collect(Collectors.toList());
	}

// bounded generics

public <T extends Number> List<T> fromArrayToList(T[] a) {
	    ...
	}

//multiple bounds

<T extends Number & Comparable>

// upper bound wildcards

public static void paintAllBuildings(List<? extends Building> buildings) {
	    ...
	}
    
// lower bound wildcard

<? super T>

Example 3: java generics type

Java Generic Type Naming convention helps us understanding code easily and having a naming convention is one of the best practices of Java programming language. So generics also comes with its own naming conventions. Usually, type parameter names are single, uppercase letters to make it easily distinguishable from java variables. The most commonly used type parameter names are:

E – Element (used extensively by the Java Collections Framework, for example ArrayList, Set etc.)
K – Key (Used in Map)
N – Number
T – Type
V – Value (Used in Map)
S,U,V etc. – 2nd, 3rd, 4th types

Example 4: generic class java

public interface Pair<K, V> {
    public K getKey();
    public V getValue();
}

public class OrderedPair<K, V> implements Pair<K, V> {

    private K key;
    private V value;

    public OrderedPair(K key, V value) {
	this.key = key;
	this.value = value;
    }

    public K getKey()	{ return key; }
    public V getValue() { return value; }
}

Example 5: java define a generic class that produces

List list = new ArrayList();
list.add("abc");
list.add(new Integer(5)); //OK

for(Object obj : list){
	//type casting leading to ClassCastException at runtime
    String str=(String) obj; 
}

Example 6: java define a generic class that produces

List<String> list1 = new ArrayList<String>(); // java 7 ? List<String> list1 = new ArrayList<>(); 
list1.add("abc");
//list1.add(new Integer(5)); //compiler error

for(String str : list1){
     //no type casting needed, avoids ClassCastException
}