Question on widening ,boxing

[Sneha Kapoor]

Hi

    

class Eggs {
int doX(Long x, Long y) { return 1; }
int doX(long... x) { return 2; }
int doX(Integer x, Integer y) { return 3; }
int doX(Number n, Number m) { return 4; }
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Eggs().go();
}
void go() {
short s = 7;
System.out.print(doX(s,s) + " ");
System.out.println(doX(7,7));
} }
What is the result?
A. 1 1
B. 2 1
C. 3 1
D. 4 1
E. 2 3
F. 3 3
G. 4 3
6. Given:

what does this means int doX(Number n, Number m) { return 4; }....Number is keyword or operator....I havent read about this in K&B.

[Devaka Cooray]

java.lang.Number class will be on the exam. As I remembered it was mentioned in the K&B book. As from the specification "The abstract class Number is the superclass of classes java.lang.BigDecimal, java.lang.BigInteger, java.lang.Byte, java.lang.Double, java.lang.Float, java.lang.Integer, java.lang.Long, and java.lang.Short."

[reji singh]

Just to add why the output comes to be 4,3 rather than 2,3?

Thanks

[Bob Wheeler]

reji singh wrote:Just to add why the output comes to be 4,3 rather than 2,3?
Thanks

Because for the short call there are only two matching argument lists:

 
int doX(Long x, Long y) { return 1; } // widening + boxing not allowed !!!
int doX(long... x) { return 2; } // needs widening + var-args
int doX(Integer x, Integer y) { return 3; }  // widening + boxing not allowed !!!
int doX(Number n, Number m) { return 4; } // needs boxing + widening 
   

Var-Args is always last on the list, so we go for the 4.

cheers
Bob

[reji singh]

Thanks Bob, I didnt know the var-args priority. However, with your explanantion another doubt arises in my mind ( may be a basic one )

widening + boxing not allowed !!! why is this for short type of primitive. Usually short, char, byte all get widen to int , so method below should have called

int doX(Integer x, Integer y) { return 3; }

[Kumar Ala]

I was making some changes to the above code as below:

class Eggs {
int doX(Long x, Long y) { return 1; }
int doX(int... x) { return 2; }
int doX(Integer x, Integer y) { return 3; }
//int doX(Number n, Number m) { return 4; }
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Eggs().go();
}
void go() {
short s = 7;
System.out.print(doX(s,s) + " ");
System.out.println(doX(7,7));
} }

In the above code i was expecting the result as : 3 , 3 (as per the low prioirity of var-args)

but the result is : 2 , 3

Bob can you explain how the priority decides in this case

Thanks

[Bob Wheeler]

reji singh wrote:Thanks Bob, I didnt know the var-args priority. However, with your explanantion another doubt arises in my mind ( may be a basic one )
widening + boxing not allowed !!! why is this for short type of primitive. Usually short, char, byte all get widen to int , so method below should have called
int doX(Integer x, Integer y) { return 3; }

Widening is ALWAYS allowed , but not widening + boxing (meaning, first widening and then boxing).
So you can of course wide a byte, short or char to an int. But you CAN'T wide and box a byte, short or char to an INTEGER.
But you can box the short primitive to a Short object and wide it to a number object.

cheers
Bob

[Bob Wheeler]

Kumar Ala wrote:I was making some changes to the above code as below:

class Eggs {
int doX(Long x, Long y) { return 1; }
int doX(int... x) { return 2; }
int doX(Integer x, Integer y) { return 3; }
//int doX(Number n, Number m) { return 4; }
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Eggs().go();
}
void go() {
short s = 7;
System.out.print(doX(s,s) + " ");
System.out.println(doX(7,7));
} }

In the above code i was expecting the result as : 3 , 3 (as per the low prioirity of var-args)
but the result is : 2 , 3

You can't do a conversion from a primitive short to an Integer object. This is only possible through boxing + widening (in this order).
And that is not allowed. The only matching argument list in your code is the var-arg. So we have to use this method.

cheers
Bob

Ps. Please use the code brackets for the code.

[Srikanth Nakka]

   
class Eggs {
int doX(Long x, Long y) { return 1; }
int doX(long... x) { return 2; }
int doX(int... x) { return 5; }
int doX(Integer x, Integer y) { return 3; }
//int doX(Number n, Number m) { return 4; }                  // #1  
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Eggs().go();
}
void go() {
short s = 7;
System.out.print(doX(s,s) + " ");
System.out.println(doX(7,7));
} 
}
 

as i compile this code showing error as
---------- javac ----------
Eggs.java:14: reference to doX is ambiguous, both method doX(long...) in Eggs and method doX(int...) in Eggs match
System.out.print(doX(s,s) + " ");
^
1 error

if i remove comment at #1 it is compiling Properly ......

[Bob Wheeler]

Srikanth Nakka wrote:
as i compile this code showing error as
---------- javac ----------
Eggs.java:14: reference to doX is ambiguous, both method doX(long...) in Eggs and method doX(int...) in Eggs match
System.out.print(doX(s,s) + " ");
^
1 error

if i remove comment at #1 it is compiling Properly ......

Yes, because then the call is not ambiguous any more. Boxing + Widening comes first, Var-Arg latest.

cheers
Bob