Package org.apache.pivot.util

Class TypeLiteral<T>

  • Type Parameters:
    T - note that in Tree the type parameter currently is not used
    public class TypeLiteral<T>
extends java.lang.Object
    Represents a generic type T. Java doesn't yet provide a way to represent generic types, so this class does. Clients create a subclass of this class, which enables retrieving the type information even at runtime.

    For example, to get a reference to a generic type List<String>, you create an empty anonymous inner class, like so:

    Type genericType = (new TypeLiteral<List<String>>(){}).getType();

    This class is a drastically reduced derivation from Google Guice's TypeLiteral class, written by Bob Lee and Jesse Wilson.

    • Constructor Summary

      Constructors 
      Modifier Constructor Description
      protected TypeLiteral()
      Constructs a new type literal.

    • Method Summary

      All Methods Instance Methods Concrete Methods 
      Modifier and Type Method Description
      java.lang.reflect.Type getType()
      Gets underlying Type instance.

      • Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

        clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

    • Constructor Detail

      • TypeLiteral

        protected TypeLiteral()
        Constructs a new type literal. Derives represented class from type parameter.

        Clients create an empty anonymous subclass. Doing so embeds the type parameter in the anonymous class's type hierarchy so we can reconstitute it at runtime despite erasure.

    • Method Detail

      • getType

        public final java.lang.reflect.Type getType()
        Gets underlying Type instance.
        Returns:
        The underlying type.