Generics Fundamentals
At its core, the term generics means parameterized types. Parameterized types are important because they enable you to create classes, interfaces, and methods in which the type of data upon which they operate is specified as a parameter. A class, interface, or method that operates on a type parameter is called generic, as in generic class or generic method.
Ask the Expert
Q: I have heard that Java’s generics are similar to templates in C++. Is this the case?
A: Java generics are similar to templates in C++. What Java calls a parameterized type, C++ calls a template. However, Java generics and C++ templates are not the same, and there are some fundamental differences between the two approaches to generic types. For the ...
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