Java Development

[mapleleafs90]

Hello all,

I am planning on upgrading an application but it seems I forgot about the possibility of the structure of my class changing in the future by adding other objects to it.

Is the best practice to just have place holders in a class?

e.g.

public class Settings implements Persistable{

int placeholder1;

int placeholder2;

int placeholder3;

...

}

How should I handle the change to the format in an upgrade, create a mirror of my old class, read it in the updated app, then save it in the new structure and save that?

[simon_hain · Accepted solution]

you could use a mutable object, like hashtable, for your settings.
this allows you to add and remove settings without the resulting config object being incompatible.

[mapleleafs90]

Is this common practice when making apps that need to save settings?

[peter_strange]

It is certainly the way I recommend.  I particularly like Hashtable. 

[mapleleafs90]

Thanks, I will have a look at it.

[satyagrwl]

Yes... One good thing that you can do...

Use IntHashtable Instead of Hashtable and define all int keys whatever you want to put on that and put the value on IntHashTable.

[mapleleafs90]

Well actually I have a custom class that I am saving which contains other classes. So Im not so sure that IntHashTable would work if its dedicated to only integer objects.

So hopefully that one is compatible with HashTable, and when I modify the items inside of this custom class I guess I can read it and then update it to the new format.

One thing I do not understand is how it will work if a user decides not to take one upgrade and then go directly from 1.0 -> 1.2 bypassing 1.1?

I have 2 classes that I save one as I mentioned above full of integers, possible some strings. Also another separate from the one above Vector which contains a few classes of different types in no set order and the size changes based on the user deleting things, creating new ones, etc.

[satyagrwl]

Using IntHashtable It is very simple process and it will handle all the scenario.

Make a Class which will have all getter and setter of your specific.

Define your public static final int keys to mape your data.

Keep a object of intHashtable and initialy read it from Persistance if it is there then then assign else creat new and commit.

Now in your getter and setter read the object from IntHashtable for that specified key if its not there then return the default value and in each setter put the value on the key in IntHashtable and commit it.

Done