Java: Always Refer to Objects By Interfaces
By admin on Aug 18, 2008 in Java, Programming
In whatever OO programming languages, you should always refer to objects by interfaces. E.g.
List<Msisdn> msisdnList = new ArrayList<Msisdn>();
List<Msisdn> msisdnList2 = new Vector<Msisdn>();
Map<String,String> msisdnLookup = new HashMap<String,String>();
Map<String,String> msisdnLookup2 = new Hashtable<String,String>();
By doing this, you program will be more flexible. If you decide that you want to switch implementations, all you have to do is change the class name in the constructor (or use a different static factory).
The exceptions are
- If the implementation contains specific methods that you want to use
- No interfaces available for that class.
