Re: How to specify a parameter

From:
Lew <lew@lewscanon.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.programmer
Date:
Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:40:48 -0400
Message-ID:
<so2dnZRojaxMlHzanZ2dnUVZ_vfinZ2d@comcast.com>
Luca D. wrote:

On 19 Mar, 11:41, RedGrittyBrick <RedGrittyBr...@SpamWeary.foo> wrote:

Instead of
        if(vehicle.GetType() == VehicleType.VEHICLE1)
            ...
        else if(vehicle.GetType() == VehicleType.VEHICLE2)
            ...
        ...
Maybe you can do
        vehicle.dotDotDot();


I can't do that, the Manager can't delegate the vehicles in this way,
it must know the type of vehicle to do other things..
Maybe the best solution is x.getClass().getName() and then check the
String.


No, RedGrittyBrick's solution is the best.

Your statement "I can't do that" is actually mistaken.

Checking the type and branching is an antipattern for which polymorphism is
the solution.

If your [Mis]Manager class "must know the type of the vehicle", then you
aren't taking advantage of the object-oriented programming skill set. You
have broken encapsulation.

The vehicle must be the only thing that knows how to fulfill its public
contract. Whatever the Manager wants to do is better handled via a
polymorphic method call.

--
Lew

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