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Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #2937

Re: calling own methods from constructor

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Owen Jacobson <angrybaldguy@gmail.com> writes:

> On 2011-04-06 16:48:41 -0400, Andreas Leitgeb said:
>
>> There is well-known danger in calling own methods from the
>> constructor, namely that the method called may be overridden
>> by a subclass, which is really instanciated, but whose specific
>> constructor has not yet been run.
>>
>> I do not intend to delve into the details of static, private
>> or final methods, or final'ity of the class itself (and maybe
>> others) avoiding these problems, but instead I'm curious, why
>> Java just doesn't simply forbid the dangerous calls.
>
> It's hard to prove that a constructor never calls a virtual method. Consider:
>
> public class Foo {
> 	public Foo() {
> 		// internalInit is private, therefore final
> 		this.internalInit();
> 	}
>
> 	public /* virtual */ void virtualMethod() {
> 		System.out.println("Override me! I dare you.");
> 	}
>
> 	private void internalInit() {
> 		// Whups! 'this' is not always fully initialized.
> 		this.virtualMethod();
> 	}
> }
>
> If you forbid internalInit from calling virtual methods because it is,
> itself, called from a constructor, you also prevent it from calling
> virtual methods when called from a normal method. If you don't prevent
> that, but do prevent Foo's constructor from calling any of its own
> virtual methods, then you end up with the question "why does Java make
> me use a private method when I want to call a virtual method from a
> constructor?" instead.

public class Bar extends Foo {
    public Bar() {
        super();
        System.out.println("Two guys walk into a...");
    }

    @override
    public void virtualMethod() {
        throw new Exception("the bar is closed");
    }
}

In Java evaluating new Bar() will throw an exception.  But in C++ the
equivalent code would print

Override me! I dare you.
Two guys walk into a...

In effect, until the constructor of Foo completes, the object is
considered to be an instance of Foo, so calls to virtualMethod() to to
Foo.virtualMethod even if it has been overridden.  After the super
constructor completes, the object is treated as an instance of Bar, so
evaluating new Bar().virtualMethod() would print two lines and then
throw an exception.

I've been surprised by this behaviour in C++ enough times that I'm not
sure that it has the better approach.  But a solution does exist.

-- 
Jim Janney

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calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-06 20:48 +0000
  Re: calling own methods from constructor Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-04-06 23:06 +0100
    Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-06 18:24 -0400
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 08:44 +0000
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2011-04-07 04:14 -0700
          Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 12:32 +0000
            Re: calling own methods from constructor Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2011-04-07 05:55 -0700
            Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <lew@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-07 08:10 -0700
              Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 20:31 +0000
                Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <lew@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-07 14:10 -0700
                Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 22:15 +0000
                Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-07 21:22 -0400
              Re: calling own methods from constructor Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-04-07 23:08 +0100
                Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-07 21:24 -0400
                Re: calling own methods from constructor "Mike Schilling" <mscottschilling@hotmail.com> - 2011-04-09 22:06 -0700
            Re: calling own methods from constructor Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-04-07 23:10 +0100
              Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 22:24 +0000
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-07 07:19 -0400
          Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 12:24 +0000
    Re: calling own methods from constructor Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-04-06 20:46 -0400
    Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 08:36 +0000
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2011-04-07 07:16 -0300
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 11:26 +0000
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Paul Cager <paul.cager@googlemail.com> - 2011-04-07 03:20 -0700
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 11:36 +0000
  Re: calling own methods from constructor Owen Jacobson <angrybaldguy@gmail.com> - 2011-04-06 22:23 -0400
    Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 09:13 +0000
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Tobias Blass <tobiasblass@gmx.net> - 2011-04-07 10:58 +0000
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 12:19 +0000
          Re: calling own methods from constructor Alessio Stalla <alessiostalla@gmail.com> - 2011-04-07 10:40 -0700
            Re: calling own methods from constructor Tobias Blass <tobiasblass@gmx.net> - 2011-04-07 19:00 +0000
              Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 20:11 +0000
              Re: calling own methods from constructor Jim Janney <jjanney@shell.xmission.com> - 2011-04-07 14:36 -0600
              Re: calling own methods from constructor Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-04-07 20:59 -0400
    Re: calling own methods from constructor Jim Janney <jjanney@shell.xmission.com> - 2011-04-07 10:26 -0600
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 20:16 +0000
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <lew@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-07 14:05 -0700
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Jim Janney <jjanney@shell.xmission.com> - 2011-04-07 16:15 -0600
          Re: calling own methods from constructor Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-04-07 21:28 -0400
          Re: calling own methods from constructor Owen Jacobson <angrybaldguy@gmail.com> - 2011-04-07 23:21 -0400
            Re: calling own methods from constructor Owen Jacobson <angrybaldguy@gmail.com> - 2011-04-07 23:39 -0400
            Re: calling own methods from constructor Owen Jacobson <angrybaldguy@gmail.com> - 2011-04-07 23:58 -0400
            Re: calling own methods from constructor Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-04-08 20:32 +0100
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-04-07 23:05 +0100
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Jim Janney <jjanney@shell.xmission.com> - 2011-04-07 17:38 -0600
  Re: calling own methods from constructor Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2011-04-07 03:20 -0700
    Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-07 11:32 +0000
  Re: calling own methods from constructor Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte-dot-net.invalid> - 2011-04-08 01:51 +0200
    Re: calling own methods from constructor Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte-dot-net.invalid> - 2011-04-08 01:56 +0200
      Re: calling own methods from constructor Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-04-08 09:30 +0000
        Re: calling own methods from constructor Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte-dot-net.invalid> - 2011-04-08 20:02 +0200

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