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From: Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Accessibility of suBclass-fields from suPERclass (reflection)
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 07:54:34 -0400
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On 8/17/2014 6:51 AM, Josip Almasi wrote:
> On 08/17/2014 02:22 AM, Eric Sosman wrote:
>> On 8/16/2014 6:37 PM, Andreas Leitgeb wrote:
>>> Overall-operations, (e.g. resetting all values of a given subclass
>>> instance) are done from Base-class by use of reflection.
>>
>>      Why by reflection?  Why not by a reset() method, abstract in
>> the superclass?
>
> Because it means coding in each subclass?

     Hmmm.  I suppose that would be a possible objection, but it
seems kind of far-fetched.  Nobody seems too terribly upset about
writing a separate equals() for every subclass that needs one;
why should a reset() method be more objectionable?

     Awful thought: A subclass that inherits equals() from its
superclass, where the superclass' equals() implementation uses
reflection to inspect the subclass' innards ...

-- 
esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid