Incomplete javac error message

[Ulf Zibis]

<--- See following code: --->

public class CharacterNamesGenerator5 {

     .....

     static class PrintFilter<T> {
         final String format;
         private final int limit;
         int n = -1;
         private T item; // <------ causes weird compile error
//        T item;         // <------ workaround
         private PrintFilter(String format, int num) { this.format = 
format; limit = num; }
         PrintFilter(int num) { this("%s%n", num); }
         private static Object[] params(Object... params) { return params; }
         boolean abort(T object) { item = object; return ++n == limit; }
         boolean accept() { return true; }
         Object[] params() { return params(item); }

         static class WithFrequency<E extends Entry> extends 
PrintFilter<E> {
             WithFrequency(int num) { super("%s (%d)%n", num); }
             Object[] params() { return params(item, item.count); }    
// <------ compile error
         }
         static class MostFrequentEntries<E extends Entry> extends 
PrintFilter<E> {
             private int minCount;
             MostFrequentEntries(EntryList<E> list) { 
super("sorted[%d]=%s (%d)%n", -1);
                     minCount = list.sorted.get(Word.MAX_BYTECODED).count; }
             boolean abort (E entry) {
                 return super.abort(entry) || entry.count < minCount;
             }
             Object[] params() { return params(n, item, item.count); }
         }
     }
}
<--------------->


The compiler message says: "non-static variable item cannot be 
referenced from a static context"
If I change the variable to package-private or use super.item, the still 
non-static variable item is accepted.
On 1st look this seems kinda weird, as the as same private constructor 
of super class PrintFilter<T> could be referred without problems.

So I think the message should be corrected similar to:
"private non-static variable item cannot be referenced neither from a 
subclass nor from a static context"

What do you think?
Is this a bug?

Maybe you like to follow the original thread:
*Bug 186832* <http://netbeans.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=186832> - 
[69cat] Wrong compile error message

Cheers,
-Ulf


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