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We've got a fairly large amount of code that just made the jump to Java 5. We've been using generics in those components targeted at being released in the Java 5 version, but the remaining code is, of course, full of raw types. I've set the compiler to generate an error for raw types and started manually clearing them, but at the present rate it'll take a very long time to go through with it (there are about 2500 errors). And that's with Eclipse's helpful Infer Generic Type quick fix, which always gets rid of the errors, but often generates code that needs further work.
Is there any better way to dealing with this? Are there any automated tools better than Eclipse? Any way to apply the refactoring to all occurences instead of doing them one-by-one? Or do you just ignore the warnings?
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Use generic types to maximize code reuse, type safety, and performance. The most common use of generics is to create collection classes. The . NET class library contains several generic collection classes in the System.
Generics means parameterized types. The idea is to allow type (Integer, String, … etc., and user-defined types) to be a parameter to methods, classes, and interfaces. Using Generics, it is possible to create classes that work with different data types.
Generics enable the use of stronger type-checking, the elimination of casts, and the ability to develop generic algorithms. Without generics, many of the features that we use in Java today would not be possible.
Cannot Use Casts or instanceof With Parameterized Types. Cannot Create Arrays of Parameterized Types. Cannot Create, Catch, or Throw Objects of Parameterized Types. Cannot Overload a Method Where the Formal Parameter Types of Each Overload Erase to the Same Raw Type.
I would suggest ignoring the warnings. Otherwise, you'll be putting a lot of time into updating the legacy code without making any improvements to its functionality.
Update: Great comment from Luke that I thought should get more visibility: "Generics are a way to catch run time bugs at compile time. Unless this legacy code has bugs in it that you think are related to casting I would leave it alone (if it ain't broke, don't fix it)"
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