Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.CARNet.hr!garrison.bnet.hr!gregory.BNet.hr!not-for-mail
From: Josip Almasi <joe@vrspace.org>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Accessibility of suBclass-fields from suPERclass (reflection)
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:19:19 +0200
Organization: B.net Hrvatska d.o.o.
Lines: 31
Message-ID: <lst5hn$sh9$1@gregory.bnet.hr>
References: <slrnluqmpu.fp3.avl@login.logic.tuwien.ac.at> <53eecf6a$0$300$14726298@news.sunsite.dk> <slrnluu6ir.fp3.avl@login.logic.tuwien.ac.at> <c58q1fF9v1tU1@mid.individual.net> <slrnluvn8q.fp3.avl@login.logic.tuwien.ac.at> <lsosjs$gtc$1@dont-email.me> <lsq1fh$htv$1@gregory.bnet.hr> <lsq55r$1s1$1@dont-email.me>
NNTP-Posting-Host: cpe-94-253-158-254.zg.cable.xnet.hr
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Trace: gregory.bnet.hr 1408375159 29225 94.253.158.254 (18 Aug 2014 15:19:19 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: abuse@globalnet.hr
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 15:19:19 +0000 (UTC)
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.7.0
In-Reply-To: <lsq55r$1s1$1@dont-email.me>
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.java.programmer:29714

On 08/17/2014 01:54 PM, Eric Sosman wrote:
> 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?

Because, equals() is called very often, and reset() is not.

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

;>

I know of two classes of problems that reflection solves mighty fine:
1) persistence
2) networking
I suppose anything else solved by marshalling is case for reflection.

Regards...