clone problems

[omar bili]

Hi
i'm using the clone method, it's giving me an error while i copile
it's saying that clone have a private access!
how can i fix that is there another way to clone an abject, (it's like a hashMap)
thanks

[Paul Sturrock]

it's saying that clone have a private access!

Well, just don't implement your clone method with the private access modifier.

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

To make a class publically cloneable, you have to do two things:

1) Declare that the class implements java.lang.Cloneable

2) Override clone() something like this:

public Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException {
  return super.clone();
}

That's what you need to do, and that's how it's supposed to work. Is this a good design? No. But that's how it works.

[Wagner Danda Da Silva Filho]

The clone method cames from the java.lang.Object class (where all objects extends). Here is the signature of the method:

protected Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException

When you override this method you are not allowed to restrict its visibility (e.g. "private"), but the contrary is permitted: you can make it "public".

Wagner Danda

[omar bili]

ok, got it thanks,
but the thing is that my main class does not implement the clone method, so i cant use the super.clone();

2) Override clone() something like this:
code:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
public Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException { return super.clone();}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

maybe ill have to create my own clone method from nothing, and copy all the variables
thanks for the help
Omar

[Layne Lund]

Originally posted by omar bili:
ok, got it thanks,
but the thing is that my main class does not implement the clone method, so i cant use the super.clone();



maybe ill have to create my own clone method from nothing, and copy all the variables
thanks for the help
Omar

In order to support clone(), you ALWAYS have to create your own clone method. However, you only need to copy the variables manually if you need to perform a "deep clone". If you just need a shallow clone, then you should call super.clone() as shown. Note that this typically calls the default clone() method from Object.

Layne