Re: Novice to Generics Trying to Implement a Generic Priority Queue

From:
Lew <noone@lewscanon.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.programmer
Date:
Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:39:25 -0400
Message-ID:
<ino9ra$52d$1@news.albasani.net>
markspace wrote:

KevinSimonson wrote:

   public PriorityQueue ( int size)
   {
     if (0<= size)
     { @SupressWarnings( "unchecked")
       queue = (Da[]) new Object[ size];

PriorityQueue.java:14:<identifier> expected
       queue = (Da[]) new Object[ size];


Kevin, you really do a fine job of posting a question with a good example,
well presented.

Interesting. I thought I could put that annotaion on an assignment. I guess
not. Oh well.


Annotations are allowed only at declarations.

    public PriorityQueue(int size) throws BadSizeException {
        if (0 <= size) {
            @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
            Da[] temp = (Da[]) new Object[ size ];
            queue = temp;
            nmbrEntries = 0;
        } else {...

   private static boolean inOrder ( Da left
                                  , Da right)
   {
     return left.compareTo< ? super Da>( right)<= 0;
   }

PriorityQueue.java:25: illegal start of expression
     return left.compareTo< ? super Da>( right)<= 0;


This bit goes on the declaration, not the invocation ;-)

public class PriorityQueue<Da extends Comparable<? super Da>> {...


In the actual use, you don't need any angle-brackety stuff:

  private static boolean inOrder( Da left, Da right)
  {
    return left.compareTo( right ) <= 0;
  }

You do, however, have to guard against a possible 'NullPointerException'. The
method is 'private', so it's up to its callers not to screw that up. You
enforce that with an assertion:

  private static boolean inOrder( Da left, Da right)
  {
    assert left != null;
    return left.compareTo( right ) <= 0;
  }

If the method were 'public' you'd need to add an explicit guard against the
'NullPointerException':

  public static boolean inOrder( Da left, Da right)
  {
    if ( left == null )
    {
      return true;
    }
    assert left != null;
    return left.compareTo( right ) <= 0;
  }

The assertion is rather trivial here, so you could simply:

  public static boolean inOrder( Da left, Da right)
  {
    return left == null || left.compareTo( right ) <= 0;
  }

Don't forget your Javadocs!

--
Lew
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
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