What is generic methods in Java?

In Java, generic methods are methods that allow you to define a single method that works with various types of data. The types are specified as parameters and can be used within the method body. This feature increases code reusability and type safety, reducing the need for type casting.

Generic methods are defined using angle brackets after the method name, allowing for the specification of one or more type parameters. This makes methods flexible and applicable to different object types, ensuring that they operate correctly with the specified types while maintaining compile-time type checking.

The following is an example of a generic method in Java:

public class GenericMethodExample { // Generic method that prints an array of any type public static void printArray(T[] array) { for (T element : array) { System.out.println(element); } } public static void main(String[] args) { Integer[] intArray = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; String[] stringArray = {"Hello", "World"}; System.out.println("Integer Array:"); printArray(intArray); // Calling generic method with Integer array System.out.println("String Array:"); printArray(stringArray); // Calling generic method with String array } }

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