Generic returned array is not expected type

Question

I have a generic method used to generate a list of numbers. The type of the numbers depends on the function passed:

public class JmllCore<T> {

    public static <T> T[] generateArray(Function<Random, T> creator, long size) {
        List<T> generated  = [.... do something to long to stay in a row .....]
        return (T[]) generated.toArray();
    }

} 

So, if I call this method:

public static Integer[] arrayOfIntegers(int size) throws Exception {
    JmllCore<Integer> jmllCore = new JmllCore<>();
    return jmllCore.generateArray(Random::nextInt, size);
}

I am expecting an Integer[] but, instead, I get an Object[] and it's generating this exception:

java.lang.ClassCastException: class [Ljava.lang.Object; cannot be cast to class [Ljava.lang.Integer; ([Ljava.lang.Object; and [Ljava.lang.Integer; are in module java.base of loader 'bootstrap')
at io.jmll.JmllArray.arrayOfIntegers(JmllArray.java:95)
at io.jmll.JmllArrayTest.arrayOfIntegers(JmllArrayTest.java:65)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:566)
at org.junit.platform.commons.util.ReflectionUtils.invokeMethod(ReflectionUtils.java:688)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.MethodInvocation.proceed(MethodInvocation.java:60)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain$ValidatingInvocation.proceed(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:131)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.extension.TimeoutExtension.intercept(TimeoutExtension.java:149)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.extension.TimeoutExtension.interceptTestableMethod(TimeoutExtension.java:140)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.extension.TimeoutExtension.interceptTestMethod(TimeoutExtension.java:84)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker$ReflectiveInterceptorCall.lambda$ofVoidMethod$0(ExecutableInvoker.java:115)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker.lambda$invoke$0(ExecutableInvoker.java:105)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain$InterceptedInvocation.proceed(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:106)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain.proceed(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:64)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain.chainAndInvoke(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:45)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain.invoke(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:37)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker.invoke(ExecutableInvoker.java:104)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker.invoke(ExecutableInvoker.java:98)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.lambda$invokeTestMethod$6(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:210)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.invokeTestMethod(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:206)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.execute(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:131)
at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.execute(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:65)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$5(NodeTestTask.java:139)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$7(NodeTestTask.java:129)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.Node.around(Node.java:137)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$8(NodeTestTask.java:127)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.executeRecursively(NodeTestTask.java:126)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.execute(NodeTestTask.java:84)
at java.base/java.util.ArrayList.forEach(ArrayList.java:1540)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.invokeAll(SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.java:38)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$5(NodeTestTask.java:143)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$7(NodeTestTask.java:129)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.Node.around(Node.java:137)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$8(NodeTestTask.java:127)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.executeRecursively(NodeTestTask.java:126)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.execute(NodeTestTask.java:84)
at java.base/java.util.ArrayList.forEach(ArrayList.java:1540)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.invokeAll(SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.java:38)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$5(NodeTestTask.java:143)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$7(NodeTestTask.java:129)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.Node.around(Node.java:137)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$8(NodeTestTask.java:127)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.executeRecursively(NodeTestTask.java:126)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.execute(NodeTestTask.java:84)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.submit(SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.java:32)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.HierarchicalTestExecutor.execute(HierarchicalTestExecutor.java:57)
at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.HierarchicalTestEngine.execute(HierarchicalTestEngine.java:51)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.execute(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:108)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.execute(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:88)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.lambda$execute$0(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:54)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.withInterceptedStreams(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:67)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.execute(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:52)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.execute(DefaultLauncher.java:96)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.execute(DefaultLauncher.java:75)
at com.intellij.junit5.JUnit5IdeaTestRunner.startRunnerWithArgs(JUnit5IdeaTestRunner.java:71)
at com.intellij.rt.junit.IdeaTestRunner$Repeater.startRunnerWithArgs(IdeaTestRunner.java:33)
at com.intellij.rt.junit.JUnitStarter.prepareStreamsAndStart(JUnitStarter.java:220)
at com.intellij.rt.junit.JUnitStarter.main(JUnitStarter.java:53)

What's wrong? List is a list of Integers.

Answer 1

You could introduce a Class parameter and use Array::newInstance:

public static <T> T[] generateArray(Function<Random, T> creator, long size, Class<T> cls) {
    List<T> generated  = .....
    T[] instance = (T[])Array.newInstance(cls, generated.size());
    return generated.toArray(instance);
}

public static Integer[] arrayOfIntegers(int size)  {
    return generateArray(Random::nextInt, size, Integer.class);
}

Answer 2

If you check your compiler output, you'll see that you have an unchecked cast warning on (T[]). The risk that this warning is related to has materialized in your case.

What is it?

generated.toArray() returns an Object array, and casting it to T[] is not checked at compile time (hence the warning).

You can improve the type safety of your code by passing an array to toArray(), ensuring that your returned array's component type is exactly T. But the array will have to be created by the caller (because generateArray can't create an array of an unknown type T)

public static <T> T[] generateArray(Function<Random, T> creator, 
             Supplier<T[]> arrayCreator, int size) {
    List<T> generated = ...;
    return generated.toArray(arrayCreator.get());
}

Which you can call with something like:

public static Integer[] arrayOfIntegers(int size) {
    return Classname.generateArray(Random::nextInt, 
                                   () -> new Integer[size], size);
}