Converter question / suggestion?

[jnash67]

In interface Converter why is Class getType() not Class getType() ?

I added the following class to my project to get rid of some boilerplate:

import org.csveed.bean.conversion.AbstractConverter;

public abstract class EasierAbstractConverter<K> extends AbstractConverter<K> {

    private final Class<K> clazz;

    public EasierAbstractConverter(Class<K> clazz) {
        this.clazz = clazz;
    }

    @Override
    public Class getType() {
        return clazz;
    }
}

[Robert Bor]

Eliminating boilerplate is a noble goal, which I heartily support. One way to achieve this is to introduce a constructor in AbstractConverter which sets clazz, as you do in EasierAbstractConverter.

However, don't you just move boilerplate around by introducing the need for an extra no-arg constructor in an implementing class?

Looking forward to your reaction.

[jnash67]

It's just a (potentially substantial) reduction in boilerplate. You add some number of characters of boilerplate in the constructor while removing 5 lines of boilerplate when overriding the method (4 lines of method + one blank line -- the exact number of lines, of course, depends on one's formatting and spacing conventions.

I noticed a substantial reduction in a method where I was consecutively setting converters for 4 or 5 fields.

There's also a slight improvement in clarity. I mis-typed my first sentence to you. The question should have read:

Why is Class getType() not Class getType()?

With K in the constructor, There's no confusing that K is what should be returned. When overriding getType with the , after not looking at it for a bit, I had to give a little thought to what class the method was supposed to return.

Jonathan

[jnash67]

Sorry, the editor keeps messing up my question. It is:

Why is Class getType() not Class<K> getType()?  

[Robert Bor]

I have decided to adopt your suggestion, it's definitely better. The Converter hierarchy is almost literally copied from the Spring framework, so I guess they would be well served by your suggestion as well.

Thanks!