Question about boxing and args

[Valmir Cinquini]

Given the following code:

    
public class Bertha {

    static String s = " ";

    public static void main(String... args) {

       int x = 4; Boolean y = true; short[] sa = {1,2,3};

     doStuff( x, y );
     doStuff( x );
     doStuff( sa, sa );

     System.out.println(s);

    }

    static void doStuff(Object o)     { s += "1"; }
    static void doStuff(Object... o)  { s += "2"; }
    static void doStuff(Integer... i) { s += "3"; }
    static void doStuff(long L)        { s += "4"; }
}

Why the answer is 212 ??? Why it is not 232???

Why the second call (doStuff( x );) falls in doStuff(Object o) and not doStuff(long L) ? Both x and L are primitives. An int doesn't fit in a long?

Can anyone help me with boxing and args? This subject isn't clear for me.

Thanks in advance

[Nathan Warner]

The reason goes for the Object overload instead of the Integer var-arg is to allow older code to keep the same functionality even with the introduction of var-args for method calls. This means that using a var-arg argument for a method is the lowest priority. What it does is it boxes the int to and Integer object and promotes it to its Object superclass.

I just ran the same code and the output that I got was 242 instead of 212. This is what the output should be because widening the int to a long, which is done implicitly, has a higher priority to boxing it to and Integer and then widening it to its Object superclass.

[Valmir Cinquini]

Nathan Warner wrote: I just ran the same code and the output that I got was 242 instead of 212. This is what the output should be because widening the int to a long, which is done implicitly, has a higher priority to boxing it to and Integer and then widening it to its Object superclass.

Hi Nathan,

thanks for your reply. I also ran the code and I got 242. I think the book was mistyped.

Thanks anyway