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reason: actual argument List<String> cannot be converted
to List<Object> by method
invocation conversion
1 error
This error message results from being unaware of the fundamental rule of generic
types: for a given subtype x of type y , and given G as a raw type declaration, G<x>
is not a subtype of G<y> .
Tounderstandthisrule,youmustrefreshyourunderstandingofsubtypepolymorph-
ism(see Chapter2 ).Basically,asubtypeisaspecializedkindofsupertype.Forexample,
Circle isaspecializedkindof Shape and String isaspecializedkindof Object .
This polymorphic behavior also applies to related parameterized types with the same
type parameters (e.g., List<Object> is a specialized kind of
java.util.Collection<Object> ).
However,thispolymorphicbehaviordoesnotapplytomultipleparameterizedtypes
thatdifferonlyinregardtoonetypeparameterbeingasubtypeofanothertypeparamet-
er. For example, List<String> is not a specialized kind of List<Object> . The
following example reveals why parameterized types differing only in type parameters
are not polymorphic:
List<String> ls = new ArrayList<>();
List<Object> lo = ls;
lo.add(new Employee());
String s = ls.get(0);
This example will not compile because it violates type safety. If it compiled, a
ClassCastException would be thrown at runtime because of the implicit cast to
String on the final line.
Thefirstlineinstantiatesa List of String andthesecondlineupcastsitsreference
to a List of Object . The third line adds a new Employee object to the List of
Object .Thefourthlineobtainsthe Employee objectvia get() andattemptstoas-
signittothe List of String referencevariable.However, ClassCastException
is thrown because of the implicit cast to String —an Employee is not a String .
Note Althoughyoucannotupcast List<String> to List<Object> ,youcan
upcast List<String> to the raw type List in order to interoperate with legacy
code.
Theaforementionederrormessagerevealsthat List of String isnotalso List of
Object .Tocall Listing3-55 's outputList() methodwithoutviolatingtypesafety,
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