Evolution of records spec

[Remi Forax]

----- Mail original -----
> De: "Tagir Valeev" <amaembo at gmail.com>
> À: "amber-spec-experts" <amber-spec-experts at openjdk.java.net>
> Envoyé: Mardi 26 Novembre 2019 09:12:24
> Objet: Evolution of records spec

> Hello!
> 
> The current spec draft [1] tells nothing about the possibility to
> migrate an existing class to the record or vice versa. I believe such
> a migration could be safe, taking into account all the implicit
> declarations the records have. E.g. if I linked before to a library
> final class named Point, called a constructor like Point(int, int) and
> used equals/hashCode/toString, then converting it to the record
> Point(int x, int y) in the library would not break my client code.
> Should not we have some kind of explicit statement about
> record<=>class binary compatibility ?

It's not fully binary compatible because:
- a record is final (and static for internal class)
- a record inherits from j.l.Record
- a record requires the canonical constructor to be public
- a record has a special serialization if it implements Serializable
- a record is self reflective (isRecord()/getComponents()).

So moving from a class to a record is mostly binary compatible if the class is not Serializable, doesn't inherits from another class and has no subclass.
Moving from a record to a class is not binary compatible.

> 
> With best regards,
> Tagir Valeev.

Rémi

> 
> [1]
> http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~gbierman/jep359/jep359-20191125/specs/records-jls.html#jls-13.4.27