Java: how to pass reference to new operator?

Question

I know that I can pass a reference of a method to another method, like this:

foo(Bar::doBar); // or e.g.
foo(bar::doBar); // or e.g.
foo(this::doBar);

Is it possible to pass a reference to new operator?

Android studio says that I ought to replace a line like this:

(a, b) -> new Pair<>(a, b)

with a method reference to new. But how do I do that?

Answer 1

A constructor reference is a special case of a Method Reference Expression. As a small point of terminology, the reference is not to the operator, but to a particular constructor. If, for instance, Pair<T> had more than one constructor, the right one would be selected based on the static context.

Different ways to refer to a constructor (from JLS):

ArrayList<String>::new     // constructor for parameterized type
ArrayList::new             // inferred type arguments
                           // for generic class
Foo::<Integer>new          // explicit type arguments
                           // for generic constructor
Bar<String>::<Integer>new  // generic class, generic constructor
int[]::new                 // array creation