What are alternatives to type erasure and how do they compare?

This article discusses alternatives to type erasure in Java, including reified generics, type tokens, and the use of reflection. It compares these approaches, highlighting their benefits and drawbacks.

Alternatives to Type Erasure, Reified Generics, Type Tokens, Reflection in Java, Java Generics


// Example: Using Type Tokens in Java
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

class TypeToken {
    private Class type;

    protected TypeToken(Class type) {
        this.type = type;
    }

    public Class getType() {
        return type;
    }
}

public class TypeTokenExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        TypeToken> token = new TypeToken>(Map.class);
        System.out.println("Type: " + token.getType().getName());
    }
}
    

Alternatives to Type Erasure Reified Generics Type Tokens Reflection in Java Java Generics