Are Java generics mainly a way of forcing static type on elements of a collection?

Question

private ArrayList<String> colors = new ArrayList<String>();

Looking at the example above, it seems the main point of generics is to enforce type on a collection. So, instead of having an array of "Objects", which need to be cast to a String at the programmer's discretion, I enforce the type "String" on the collection in the ArrayList. This is new to me but I just want to check that I'm understanding it correctly. Is this interpretation correct?

Answer 1

That's by far not the only use of generics, but it's definitely the most visible one.

Generics can be (and are) used in many different places to ensure static type safety, not just with collections.

I'd just like to mention that, because you'll come accross places where generics could be useful, but if you're stuck with the generics/collections association, then you might overlook that fact.

Answer 2

Yes, your understanding is correct. The collection is strongly-typed to whatever type is specified, which has various advantages - including no more run-time casting.