Generic ? super ..Question

[Yogvinder Singh Ghotra]

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Set;

public class EqualsHashcode {

public static void main(String... args){
final int x = 4;


Set<SortOf> set= new HashSet<SortOf>();
SortOf t = new SortOf(2,"abc", (short) x);
SortOf t1 = new SortOf(1,"abc", (short) (x + 4));
set.add(t);
set.add(t1);

ArrayList <? super SortOf> a = new ArrayList<SortOf>();
add(a);
System.out.println(set.size());
}

public static void add(List <? super SortOf> a){
a.add(new Object());
// Compile Time Error
}
}

class SortOf {
String name;

int bal;

String code;

short rate;

SortOf(int bal,String code, short rate){
this.bal = bal;
this.code = code;
this.rate = rate;
}

public int hashcode() {
return (code.length() * bal);
}

public boolean equals(Object o) {
return ((SortOf) o).code.length() * ((SortOf) o).bal
* ((SortOf) o).rate == this.code.length() * this.bal
* this.rate;
}
}

Can anyone explain this behavior? // Compile Time Error why is it coming??
[ September 19, 2007: Message edited by: Yogvinder Singh Ghotra ]

[Keith Lynn]

The List could potentially contain any class that is a superclass of SortOf. So the only thing safe to add to the list is a SortOf object.

[Lucky J Verma]

with <? super SortOf>
in mathod argument,
you can add SortOf object only or Null ,not supertypes od SortOf
list.add(new SortOf(..)) as there can be many supertypes..of SortOf.
and yaa ofcourse ,we will get /return only Object.