Generics is a Java feature that was introduced in Java 5. It allows developers to create interfaces, classes, and methods that operate on types as parameters. Generics are primarily used to improve code reuse and type checking at compile time by allowing methods and classes to accept any data type.
Java Classes in PuneHere is a summary of the key features of Java generics:
Type Variables: Generics introduce type variables (also known as type parameters) which are specified in angle brackets ("<>" after the class, interface, or method name. These type parameters are placeholder types which will be replaced with concrete types if the generic class interface or method is used.
Generic classes and interfaces: By utilizing type parameters, developers can create generic classes and a standardized interface that can be used with any type of data. The classes and interfaces created can be instantiated using specific types.
Generic methods: Java supports both generic classes and interfaces as well as generic methods. These methods have their type parameters independent of class/interface type parameters.
Type Security: The compiler can detect and report any type errors during compilation. This reduces runtime errors due to mismatched types.
Type inference: The Java compiler can often infer type arguments from the context. This allows developers to omit type parameters explicitly in some situations.
Generics are a powerful tool in Java that allows you to create reusable code, which is type-safe and can be used with many different data types. They also allow for compile-time checking of type. They are widely used in the Java Collections Framework and are an essential part of modern Java Programming.
