Generic Methods

A Generic Method defines a method that operates on objects of various types while providing compile-time type safety. These methods can be used inside generic and non-generic classes.

Syntax

public <T> void printArray(T[] array) {
    for (T element : array) {
        System.out.println(element);
    }
}
  • <T> before the return type indicates the method is generic.
  • T is the type parameter used within the method.

Example

public class Main {
    public static <T> void display(T[] items) {
        for (T item : items) {
            System.out.print(item + " ");
        }
        System.out.println();
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Integer[] intArray = {1, 2, 3};
        String[] strArray = {"A", "B", "C"};

        display(intArray);
        display(strArray);
    }
}

Bounded Type Parameters

Generic methods can restrict the types they accept using bounds.

public <T extends Number> void printNumber(T num) {
    System.out.println(num);
}

🔗 Related Notes