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A class signature does not have feelings, IntelliJ. (files.catbox.moe)
submitted 4 days ago by mudkip@lemdro.id to c/softwaregore@lemmy.world
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[-] Nighed@feddit.uk 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It could be an OUT variable? (Does java have them?)

[-] Starfighter@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 days ago

Not as far as I'm aware of. You can kinda fake it with references like you would in C++.

With all the missing context it would also be possible that the author is trying to track invalid whatevers and the invalid flag is actually wanted state.

[-] addie@feddit.uk 1 points 4 days ago

In Java, all objects are passed to methods 'by reference', and there is no way to mark them as immutable. So strictly speaking, they're all 'out variables'. This is the cause of a lot of mistakes in Java, where you eg. pass a list to a method, which then mutates it in some way. That will change the original that the caller passed in, which is normally unintended and may break class invariants. So Java tends to have an absurd number of 'safety copies' and immutable wrappers of collections.

I'd probably describe the inability to mark things immutable as the main problem with Java. The golden rule of concurrency is that if you share mutable state, you must use an appropriate synchronisation primitive. It's not easy to mark things immutable (final doesn't do what const does in C++) and although you can make class internals private if you like, the junior devs at my work will come along and add accessor methods.

tl:dr; yes it does. Passing an AtomicBoolean as a method argument will do as a built-in 'mutable object that holds a boolean and can be checked by caller', although it'll be slower than your own custom object since it does sync you won't need.

[-] Nighed@feddit.uk 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I'm from C# that has the following for your list example:

// If you add an item to this list, it will effect usages outside. You can't reassign it though.
public void Example(List<string> exampleParam)

//Full passing by ref, if you re-assign it to a complete new object, outside usages will be effected
public void Example(ref List<string> exampleParam)

//Output only, this acts as if the method assigned a variable named exampleParam. 
public void Example(out List<string> exampleParam)
this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2025
115 points (100.0% liked)

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