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Float wrapper from double. Bonkers?

 
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Hi,

One can't assign a double to a float primitive without a cast...as we know.

So...can anyone explain the reasoning that permits a Float Wrapper to be created by passing a double to the Float constructor?

package Chapter6;

public class wrapperTest {

public static void main(String args[]) {
float floatMax = Float.MAX_VALUE;
double doubleMax = Double.MAX_VALUE;

System.out.println("floatMax=" + floatMax);
System.out.println("doubleMax=" + doubleMax);

//Double from double
Double wrapperDouble = new Double(doubleMax);
double doubleOut = wrapperDouble.doubleValue();
System.out.println("doubleOut (From wrapperDouble holding doubleMax)=" + doubleOut);

//Float from float
Float wrapperFloat = new Float(floatMax);
float floatOut = wrapperFloat.floatValue();
System.out.println("floatOut (From wrapperFloat holding floatMax)="+ floatOut);

//Create a Float Wrapper using Float(double x) constructor (silly)
Float wrapperFloat2 = new Float(doubleMax);
float floatOut2 = wrapperFloat2.floatValue();
System.out.println("floatOut2 as float (From wrapperFloat2 holding doubleMax)=" + floatOut2);
double doubleOut2 = wrapperFloat2.doubleValue();
System.out.println("doubleOut2 as double (From wrapperFloat2 holding doubleMax)=" + doubleOut2);
}

}

Output...

floatMax=3.4028235E38
doubleMax=1.7976931348623157E308
doubleOut (From wrapperDouble holding doubleMax)=1.7976931348623157E308
floatOut (From wrapperFloat holding floatMax)=3.4028235E38
floatOut2 as float (From wrapperFloat2 holding doubleMax)=Infinity
doubleOut2 as double (From wrapperFloat2 holding doubleMax)=Infinity


Cheers,

Si.
 
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The Float constructor is overloaded. One version accepts a primitive of type float; one accepts a primitive of type double; one accepts a String representation of a floating-point literal.
 
Simon Cockayne
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Hi Kedar,

I understand the Float constructor is overloaded. I have no issue with the versions that take a String or a float.

Moreover, I understand that it CAN take a double. My question is WHY was it done that way?

If java won't let one assign a double value to a float primitive(without a cast); then why allow a Float Wrapper to be created from double primitive (without a cast)?

Cheers,

Si.
[ February 27, 2005: Message edited by: Simon Cockayne ]
 
Wanderer
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[Simon]: If java won't let one assign a double value to a float primitive; then why allow a Float Wrapper to be created from double primitive?

You can assign a double to a float - if you explicitly cast it to float. That means that, if you go to the extra effort to tell the Java compiler to go ahead and convert the double to a float, it will. It won't do this by default, but will if you explicitly tell it to. Similarly, you can explicitly specify that you want to convert a double to a Float, by explictly calling the constructor. The rules are not written to prevent you from ever converting a more precise data type to a less precise data type. They were jst written to make this a little bit harder, forcing you to explicitly acknowledge the conversion in some way. Calling the new Float(double) constructor is much like casting a double to a float - you're allowed to do it, as long as you tell the compiler that's really what you want.
 
Simon Cockayne
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Morning Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I understand what your saying, but I still disagree, see below.

package Chapter6;

public class testWrapper2 {

public static void main(String[] args) {
float myNumberA = 25;
double myNumberB = 100;

//Primitive assignment:
float myFloat = myNumberA;
//float myFloat = myNumberB; //Cannot convert from double to float without cast
float myFloat2 = (float)myNumberB; //Can convert with cast

//Wrapper assignment:
Float myFloatWrapper1 = new Float(myNumberA);//Float from float

//In the next line I CAN create a Float from a double without explicitly
//saying, yes I know it is a double, but "trust me"...
Float myFloatWrapper2 = new Float(myNumberB);//Float from double

//I would have thought that this should have been the only way to allow
//a Float to be created from a double...
Float myFloatWrapper3 = new Float((float)myNumberB);//Float from (float)double
}
}

See what I mean?

Cheers,

Si.
 
Greenhorn
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There is no real logic in overloading the Float construtor with a double parameter (and not doing it for the Short parameter with int).

Now we have the following:

 
Jim Yingst
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Yeah, I guess you're (both) right - it doesn't really make any sense.
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