Java 7 -> Java8 code breakage scenarios

[Maurizio Cimadamore]

On 28/02/13 13:24, Boaz Nahum wrote:
> //C.java
>
>> public class C {
>>      void test(B b) {
>>          Tester.m(B.n());
>>      }
>> }
>>
>> Which is the very one you got. If you'd be so kind to give me some details
>> about the other stack trace you were getting (Types.rank) so that I can
>> come up with some test case (i.e. what is the code that triggered it).
>>
>> Maurizio
>>
> Yes exactly. If you named B.n() instead of inline it in the method call
> then you got 'normal' error message.
> The 'rank' exception - I'm working on it.
>
> Thanks !!!
> Boaz
>
I believe I got at the bottom of the issue - when a completion error 
(i.e. missing classfile) occurs in a nested context (i.e. method call), 
the compiler doesn't always report the error, because of some of the 
intricacies associated with lambda type-checking and nested method 
calls. Those errors should ALWAYS be reported, as a missing classfile 
error is a really bad condition that shouldn't be skipped. The fact that 
the compiler is not reporting them in certain cases lead javac to think 
that everything is ok, so that the subsequent compilation step can be 
executed - which is not true. Hence all the spurious crashes.

Maurizio