convert base class to derived class

[Mark Lybarger]

in java i can't do something like:
BaseClass a = new BaseClass();

DerivedClass b = (DerivedClass) a;

is there some utility to _cast_ a base class to a derived class? I don't want to have to implement a clone method just to invoke the getters on the base, and the setters on the derived.

i have an ejb which returns some classes. another ejb takes those classes as arguments, but i need to extend them locally, and add some information about them.

[Zip Ped]

You can create a method inside the derived class which can call the setter of the Base class by calling super.<setterMethodName>() inside that method.
eg.

public class DerivedClass{
//......;

void methodName(pass parameter){
super.<setterMethodName>()
}
//......;

}

DerivedClass b = new DerivedClass();
b.methodName(parameter)


The base class can be cast to a derived class only if the BaseClass object is refering to a Derived class object at runtime.
eg.
DerivedClass b = new DerivedClass();

BaseClass a = b;

b = (DerivedClass)a;


If the BaseClass object refers to an object of the type BaseClass or any other class other than the DerivedClass it would give you a ClassCastException.

[Keith Lynn]

Originally posted by Mark Lybarger:
in java i can't do something like:
BaseClass a = new BaseClass();

DerivedClass b = (DerivedClass) a;

is there some utility to _cast_ a base class to a derived class? I don't want to have to implement a clone method just to invoke the getters on the base, and the setters on the derived.

i have an ejb which returns some classes. another ejb takes those classes as arguments, but i need to extend them locally, and add some information about them.

Actually there is a good reason your code won't work. If an object reference is of type A, and B is a subclass of A, it is not necessarily true that the object is of type B. For example, a String is an Object, but an Object isn't necessarily a String.

Having the base class contain abstract getter and setter methods, and having the parameter type of the method be the base class would be the better way to go.

[Ilja Preuss]

Originally posted by Mark Lybarger:
is there some utility to _cast_ a base class to a derived class?

That's not possible, as the derived class could have additional fields - what values should those have?

What you should do is rethink your design. Perhaps the derived class shouldn't inherit the base class as all, but have a reference to an instance of it?

Can you tell us more about the design?