Class GcEqualsBuilder
Assists in implementing Object.equals(Object) methods.
This class provides methods to build a good equals method for any
class. It follows rules laid out in
Effective Java
, by Joshua Bloch. In particular the rule for comparing doubles,
floats, and arrays can be tricky. Also, making sure that
equals() and hashCode() are consistent can be
difficult.
Two Objects that compare as equals must generate the same hash code, but two Objects with the same hash code do not have to be equal.
All relevant fields should be included in the calculation of equals. Derived fields may be ignored. In particular, any field used in generating a hash code must be used in the equals method, and vice versa.
Typical use for the code is as follows:
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
if (obj instanceof MyClass == false) {
return false;
}
if (this == obj) {
return true;
}
MyClass rhs = (MyClass) obj;
return new GcEqualsBuilder()
.appendSuper(super.equals(obj))
.append(field1, rhs.field1)
.append(field2, rhs.field2)
.append(field3, rhs.field3)
.isEquals();
}
Alternatively, there is a method that uses reflection to determine
the fields to test. Because these fields are usually private, the method,
reflectionEquals, uses AccessibleObject.setAccessible to
change the visibility of the fields. This will fail under a security
manager, unless the appropriate permissions are set up correctly. It is
also slower than testing explicitly.
A typical invocation for this method would look like:
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
return GcEqualsBuilder.reflectionEquals(this, obj);
}
- Since:
- 1.0
- Version:
- $Id: GcEqualsBuilder.java 161243 2005-04-14 04:30:28Z ggregory $
-
Constructor Summary
Constructors -
Method Summary
Modifier and TypeMethodDescriptionappend(boolean[] lhs, boolean[] rhs) Deep comparison of array ofboolean.append(boolean lhs, boolean rhs) Test if twobooleanss are equal.append(byte[] lhs, byte[] rhs) Deep comparison of array ofbyte.append(byte lhs, byte rhs) Test if twobytes are equal.append(char[] lhs, char[] rhs) Deep comparison of array ofchar.append(char lhs, char rhs) Test if twochars are equal.append(double[] lhs, double[] rhs) Deep comparison of array ofdouble.append(double lhs, double rhs) Test if twodoubles are equal by testing that the pattern of bits returned bydoubleToLongare equal.append(float[] lhs, float[] rhs) Deep comparison of array offloat.append(float lhs, float rhs) Test if twofloats are equal byt testing that the pattern of bits returned by doubleToLong are equal.append(int[] lhs, int[] rhs) Deep comparison of array ofint.append(int lhs, int rhs) Test if twoints are equal.append(long[] lhs, long[] rhs) Deep comparison of array oflong.append(long lhs, long rhs) Test if twolongs are equal.append(short[] lhs, short[] rhs) Deep comparison of array ofshort.append(short lhs, short rhs) Test if twoshorts are equal.Performs a deep comparison of twoObjectarrays.Test if twoObjects are equal using theirequalsmethod.appendSuper(boolean superEquals) Adds the result ofsuper.equals()to this builder.booleanisEquals()Returnstrueif the fields that have been checked are all equal.static booleanreflectionEquals(Object lhs, Object rhs) This method uses reflection to determine if the twoObjects are equal.static booleanreflectionEquals(Object lhs, Object rhs, boolean testTransients) This method uses reflection to determine if the twoObjects are equal.static booleanreflectionEquals(Object lhs, Object rhs, boolean testTransients, Class reflectUpToClass) This method uses reflection to determine if the twoObjects are equal.protected voidsetEquals(boolean isEquals) Sets theisEqualsvalue.
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Constructor Details
-
GcEqualsBuilder
public GcEqualsBuilder()Constructor for GcEqualsBuilder.
Starts off assuming that equals is
true.- See Also:
-
-
Method Details
-
reflectionEquals
This method uses reflection to determine if the two
Objects are equal.It uses
AccessibleObject.setAccessibleto gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.Transient members will be not be tested, as they are likely derived fields, and not part of the value of the Object.
Static fields will not be tested. Superclass fields will be included.
- Parameters:
lhs-thisobjectrhs- the other object- Returns:
trueif the two Objects have tested equals.
-
reflectionEquals
This method uses reflection to determine if the two
Objects are equal.It uses
AccessibleObject.setAccessibleto gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.If the TestTransients parameter is set to
true, transient members will be tested, otherwise they are ignored, as they are likely derived fields, and not part of the value of theObject.Static fields will not be tested. Superclass fields will be included.
- Parameters:
lhs-thisobjectrhs- the other objecttestTransients- whether to include transient fields- Returns:
trueif the two Objects have tested equals.
-
reflectionEquals
public static boolean reflectionEquals(Object lhs, Object rhs, boolean testTransients, Class reflectUpToClass) This method uses reflection to determine if the two
Objects are equal.It uses
AccessibleObject.setAccessibleto gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.If the testTransients parameter is set to
true, transient members will be tested, otherwise they are ignored, as they are likely derived fields, and not part of the value of theObject.Static fields will not be included. Superclass fields will be appended up to and including the specified superclass. A null superclass is treated as java.lang.Object.
- Parameters:
lhs-thisobjectrhs- the other objecttestTransients- whether to include transient fieldsreflectUpToClass- the superclass to reflect up to (inclusive), may benull- Returns:
trueif the two Objects have tested equals.- Since:
- 2.0
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appendSuper
Adds the result of
super.equals()to this builder.- Parameters:
superEquals- the result of callingsuper.equals()- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
- Since:
- 2.0
-
append
Test if two
Objects are equal using theirequalsmethod.- Parameters:
lhs- the left hand objectrhs- the right hand object- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Test if two
longs are equal.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handlongrhs- the right handlong- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Test if two
ints are equal.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handintrhs- the right handint- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Test if two
shorts are equal.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handshortrhs- the right handshort- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Test if two
chars are equal.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handcharrhs- the right handchar- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Test if two
bytes are equal.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handbyterhs- the right handbyte- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Test if two
doubles are equal by testing that the pattern of bits returned bydoubleToLongare equal.This handles NaNs, Infinities, and
-0.0.It is compatible with the hash code generated by
HashCodeBuilder.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handdoublerhs- the right handdouble- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Test if two
floats are equal byt testing that the pattern of bits returned by doubleToLong are equal.This handles NaNs, Infinities, and
-0.0.It is compatible with the hash code generated by
HashCodeBuilder.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handfloatrhs- the right handfloat- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
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append
Test if two
booleanss are equal.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handbooleanrhs- the right handboolean- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Performs a deep comparison of two
Objectarrays.This also will be called for the top level of multi-dimensional, ragged, and multi-typed arrays.
- Parameters:
lhs- the left handObject[]rhs- the right handObject[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Deep comparison of array of
long. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(long, long)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handlong[]rhs- the right handlong[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
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append
Deep comparison of array of
int. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(int, int)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handint[]rhs- the right handint[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Deep comparison of array of
short. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(short, short)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handshort[]rhs- the right handshort[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Deep comparison of array of
char. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(char, char)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handchar[]rhs- the right handchar[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Deep comparison of array of
byte. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(byte, byte)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handbyte[]rhs- the right handbyte[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Deep comparison of array of
double. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(double, double)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handdouble[]rhs- the right handdouble[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Deep comparison of array of
float. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(float, float)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handfloat[]rhs- the right handfloat[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
-
append
Deep comparison of array of
boolean. Length and all values are compared.The method
append(boolean, boolean)is used.- Parameters:
lhs- the left handboolean[]rhs- the right handboolean[]- Returns:
- GcEqualsBuilder - used to chain calls.
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isEquals
public boolean isEquals()Returns
trueif the fields that have been checked are all equal.- Returns:
- boolean
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setEquals
protected void setEquals(boolean isEquals) Sets theisEqualsvalue.- Parameters:
isEquals- The value to set.- Since:
- 2.1
-