Name: rmT116609 Date: 03/01/2004


FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.5.0-beta"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0-beta-b32c)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0-beta-b32c, mixed mode)

ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
Calling Collections.binarySearch( list, key, c ) with c set to null will always throw a ClassCastException.

When c is null, key is cast to SelfComparable, which is a dummy interface that no class implements. The cast will always fail.

This bug requires 1.4 code to be changed to run under 1.5.

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
Compile and run source code below with 1.5 beta 1.

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
Successful completion with no output.
ACTUAL -
ClassCastException.

ERROR MESSAGES/STACK TRACES THAT OCCUR :
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.ClassCastException: java.lang.String
        at java.util.Collections.binarySearch(Collections.java:305)
        at BinarySearchTest.main(BinarySearchTest.java:7)

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
import java.util.*;

public class BinarySearchTest
{
 public static void main( String[] args )
 {
  Collections.binarySearch( new ArrayList(), "Apple", null );
 }
}
---------- END SOURCE ----------

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
Call the two parameter version of binarySearch if comparator is null.
(Incident Review ID: 240428)
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