###@###.### writes:

Can you tell me why the methods in java.lang.Class that return arrays,
always return raw types instead of parameterized types?
 
eg. why does getInterfaces return Class[] instead of Class<?>[]

    why does getClasses return Class[] instead of Class<?>[]

    why does getConstructors return Constructor[] instead of Constructor<T>[]

###@###.### writes:

For the first two, this is a holdover from a time when you weren't
allowed to write arrays of generic types at all. In this case it
would have been safe to use Class<?>[]. I think we just overlooked
generifying it in this case. It should have been as you suggest.

For Constructor<T>, on the other hand, there is actually a type hole
that would be introduced by typing it that way:

  Constructor<Foo>[] cfoo = Foo.class.getConstructors();
  Object[] a = cfoo;
  a[0] = Bar.class.getConstructor();
  Foo foo = cfoo[0].newInstance(); // BOOM!

###@###.### 2005-2-16 07:04:22 GMT