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From: Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Fixing "typos" in enums...
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:45:06 -0500
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On 11/18/2013 1:25 PM, Andreas Leitgeb wrote:
> Jan Burse <janburse@fastmail.fm> wrote:
>> Andreas Leitgeb schrieb:
>>>    // public enum Foo { FURST, SECOND }
>>>    public enum Foo { FIRST, SECOND; public static final FURST = FIRST; }
>>
>> Maybe mark FURST also as deprecated.
>> And put a comment that says what should
>> be used instead of FURST, which could
>> go into javadoc.
>
> Definitely a good idea, which I forgot about. Thanks for reminding!
>
>> In as far APIs behave similar as natural
>> language since for whatever reason synonyms
>> develop, and even word meanings disappear
>> over the time. Overloading of methods even
>> allows a form of polysemy.
>
> It would be nice, if enum had the concept of synonyms:
> <dream-mode>
>    - each synonym is an alias for a particular constant
>    - synonyms would be recognized by valueOf(String)
>    - synonyms could be annotated as @Deprecated
>    - synonyms could be used in a switch, but then the
>        canonical name (or any other synonym for the same
>        constant) must not be used in the same switch.
> </dream-mode>
> Well, I know it's not going to happen. Just wanted it off my chest ;-)

     It'd make a mess of EnumMaps, too ...

     I don't think there's any single Right Way to address your
problem, no one-size-fits-all solution.  Elsethread it's written
that a published API is "set in stone," but there are many kinds
of stone.  Of all posters to this thread, only you know whether
the stone is obsidian or talc; only you know how hard a tool is
required to scratch it.

-- 
Eric Sosman
esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid