Polymorphism

1. Polymorphism SWE 619

2. Outline • equals() • Revisiting Liskov’s mutable vs. not rule • Polymorphism • Uniform methods for different types • “easy” polymorphism • Element subtype approach • Planning ahead • Related subtype approach • Reacting after the fact

3. A word about equals • Problem: We want to check if two objects are equal to each other • Many ways to do so: • Object identity [A==B] (same object) • Object state [A.counter = B.counter] (similar objects) • Object property [A.area() = B.area()] (practically same)

4. Overriding equals • Object class equals is ‘==‘ check • Overriding equals means providing a check other than object identity. • Usually it provides object state check • Overriding equals in a mutable class • A.equals(B) is true/false at different times • Immutable classes don’t suffer from this problem

5. How to get in trouble: Storing mutable types in collections • Assume a collection that does not allow duplicates (eg java.util.TreeSet) • Aim: to store mutable types with overridden equals. void insert (Object x) { for all elements in collection{ if (element[i].equals(x)) return; // no duplicates } collection.addElement(x);

6. What’s the Problem? Consider client code for fig 8.1: Set s = new HashSet(); // AF(s) = {} Vector x = new Vector() // AF(x) = [] Vector y = new Vector() // AF(y) = [] s.insert(x); // AF(s) = {[]} s.insert(y); // AF(s) = {[], []}? Or {[]}? s.contains(y) // true or false? y.add(“cat”); // AF(y) = [“cat”] // AF(s) = ????? s.contains(y); // true or false? s.insert(y); // s.state = {[], [“cat”]}??? y.remove(“cat”); // s.state = {[], []} ??? !!!!

7. Solution • Liskov’s approach to equals() avoids this problem • Mutable objects compared via “==“ • A workaround for Java’s decision public boolean equals (Object x) { if (!x instanceOf Container) return false; return (el == ((Container) x.el)); } • Equality does not pose a problem anymore! • We can insert both x and y in s. • Even if x modified, we will still find y in s

8. Outline • equals() • Revisiting Liskov’s mutable vs. not rule • Polymorphism • Uniform methods for different types • “easy” polymorphism • Element subtype approach • Planning ahead • Related subtype approach • Reacting after the fact

9. What is Polymorphism? • Abstraction? Generalization? • Abstracts from the type of data, parameter • E.g.: java.util classes Vector, Dictionary and others can store any object like: Integer, Float, String, Reader etc. • Compare with IntSet, which could only store Integers

10. What is it? • Generalize abstractions • They should work for many types • E.g.: IntSet could be generalized to Set • Not just store integers, but other data types • Saves us from creating new data abstractions for each data type (like PolySet, FloatSet, etc.) • Compare IntSet with HashSet, TreeSet

11. Polymorphic procedures • Procedures can be polymorphic with respect to types of arguments • E.g.: Intset.insert(int x) becomes Set.Insert(Object x) or overloaded Set.Insert(…) with the specified list of types • How does this affect specs of procedures?

12. Polymorphic Data abstractions • Two kinds: • element subtype (Comparable, Addable) • Pre planning. • Unique way for all subtypes • related subtype (Comparator, Adder) • post planning, class designer did not provide it • create a related type for each object type • Both kinds use interfaces for generalization

13. Comparable Interface (fig 8.4) public Interface Comparable { //O: Subtypes of Comparable provide a method to determine the ordering of their objects. This ordering must be a total order over their objects, and it should be both transitive and antisymmetric. Furthermore, x.compareTo(y)== 0 implies (iff???) x.equals(y). public int compareTo (Object x) throws CCE, NPE; //E: If x is null, throws NPE; if this and x aren’t compatible, throws CCE. Otherwise, if this is less than x returns <0; if this equals x, returns 0 and if this is greater than x, returns >0

14. OrderedList (Figure 8.5) • Stores elements which implement Comparable interface • Bug in addEl() (first line) • “if (val == null)” should be “if (el == null)” • Specs: order of exceptions! • Very similar to TreeSet • What is the abstract state?

15. Ordered List code (fig 8.5) public class OL { private boolean empty; private OL left, right; private Comparable val; public void addEl(Comparable el) throws NPE,DE,CCE // M: this // E: if el is null throw NPE else if el is in this throw DE else if el is incomparable to elements in this throw CCE else add el to this if (el == null) throw new NPE(...) if (empty) {left = new OL(); right = new OL(); val = el; empty = false; return;} int n = el.compareTo(val); if (n == 0) throw new DE(...); if(n < 0) left.addEl(el); else right.addEl(el); }

16. Related subtype approach • After classes have been designed • We want a collection to store and operate on any of such types • Some client code may already exist! We don’t want it to break. • So we create related subtype • Accompanies each type, supports desired operations

17. Related subtype • Example problem (figure 8.8): We want to sum up all the elements in a set. SumSet class must maintain a running sum of all Integers, Floats or Poly’s stored. • We store one type of object at a time • SumSet a  stores only Polys • SumSet b  stores only Integers

18. SumSet Implementation (Fig 8.8) public class SumSet { private Vector els; private Object s; private Adder a; public SumSet(Adder p) throws NPE { els = new Vector(); a = p; s = p.zero();} public void insert(Object x) throws NPE, CCE { // M: this // E: if x is null throw NPE; if x cannot be added to this // throw CCE; else adds x to this and adjusts the sum Object z = a.add(s, x); if (!els.contains(x)) { els.add(x); s = z; } public Object sum() { //E: return sum of elements in this return s; } } • Note order of exceptions • What’s an “Adder”?

19. Comparator interface public Interface Comparator { public int compare (Object x, Object y) throws NPE, CCE; //E: IF x,y = null, throws NPE; // If x and y are not comparable, throws CCE // If x less than y, returns -1; if x is equal to y, returns 0; if x greater than y, returns 1 } • Why two parameters in compare()? • How does client use it?

20. StringFromBackComparator • String.compareTo(String) method provides a dictionary like ordering. (lexicographical ordering) • What if we want a different ordering? • For example: We want to compare strings from back. “cat”.comparison(“dog”) should return 1 • We can achieve so by implementing our own Comparator: StringFromBackComparator (SFBC)

21. SFBC implementation public class SFBC implements Comparator { public int compare (Object x, Object y){ if (x==null || y == null) throw new NPE(“msg”); String sx = (String) x ; // CCE automatically String sy = (String) y; // CCE automatically … //compare sx and sy from back.. } }

22. How does client use SFBC? String n = “cat”; String p = “dog”; int m = (new SFBC()).compare(n,p);

23. E.g.: ReverseComparator • We are not satisfied by comparable.compareTo() method. • We cannot change it! • Alternate way: use Comparator to define our own criteria  • Here, we want to reverse the evaluation of Comparable.compareTo

24. Correct implementation? public class ReverseComparator implements Comparator //O: Reverse the natural order of elements. Eg: 7<3 here public int compare (Object x, Object y) throws NPE, CCE { return –((Comparable x).compareTo((Comparable) y)); } • Is this correct implementation? • Look at methods rule contract • What does client expect?

25. How about absolute comparison? public class AbsoluteComparator implements Comparator //O: Compare on absolute value of (Integer) elements public int compare (Object x, Object y) throws NPE, CCE { int a = ((Integer) x).intValue(); int b = ((Integer) y).intValue(); if (a < 0) a = -a; if (b < 0) b = -b; // absolute values if (a < b) return -1; if (a > b) return 1; return 0; } • Is this correct?

26. Similarities between Comparable and Addable • Comparable • Provides uniform way to compare elements • Abstracts from types • All types compared in a similar manner • Addable • Provides uniform way to add elements • Abstracts from types • All types added in a similar manner