Re: [xml-dev] Re: Discover data patterns or Create data patterns?

[Rick Jelliffe <rjelliffe@allette.com.au>]

Dimitre Novatchev wrote:
> e achieved with C++ generics, which is
> supported entirely at compile time. As for Java, I am not even aware
> if it has any generics support at all.
>   
Java has had generics since 2004. 

However, they work with type erasure, so the <T> parameter information 
is not available at runtime directly from the code: i.e. generics really 
are type-safe macros. There is only one version of the compiled class 
generated, not a separate version for each <T>.  However, of course,  
types can be  ascertained by reflection on actual objects at runtime.  
And you can have wildcard references. 

Good article at 
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-jtp01255.html

Cheers
Rick