Name: laC46010 Date: 02/23/99



Constructor invocation can not be the right-hand operand of an assignment
since it doesn't return anything :

(field = field).this(); // legal
field = field.this(); // illegal but javac allows it

(See latest 'Clarifications and Amendments to the Inner Classes Specification' and
 JLS 19.8.5 :
ExplicitConstructorInvocation: ...
Primary . this ( ArgumentList opt ) ;
Primary . super ( ArgumentList opt ) ;
this ( ArgumentList opt ) ;
super ( ArgumentList opt ) ;
)

Javac seems to treat unparenthesized assignment here as a Primary, what contradicts the
grammar (JLS 19.12).

Javac (1.2fcs, 1.2.2) compiles the following programs without reporting any errors,
while earlier versions (1.1.x, 1.2beta1,2,3,4) give compilation errors :

1)
------------- test.java -----------
public class test {
static test field = new test();
int var = 0;

class C extends test {
C() {}
C(int a) {
field = field.this(); // compiler should emit an error here
field.var = a;
}
}

public static void main( String args[] ) {
test v1 = new test();
C v2 = v1.new C(10);
System.out.println("v2.var = " + v2.var);
}
}
--------- end of test.java --------

This program outputs :
-----------
> java test
v2.var = 0
-----------

2)
------------- test.java -----------
public class test {
static test field = new test();
int var = 0;
}

class C extends test {
C() {}
C(int a) {
field = field.this(); // compiler should emit an error here
field.var = a;
}
}
--------- end of test.java --------

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