org.apache.commons.lang3.builder
Class ReflectionToStringBuilder

java.lang.Object
  extended by org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.ToStringBuilder
      extended by org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.ReflectionToStringBuilder
All Implemented Interfaces:
Builder<String>

public class ReflectionToStringBuilder
extends ToStringBuilder

Assists in implementing Object.toString() methods using reflection.

This class uses reflection to determine the fields to append. Because these fields are usually private, the class uses AccessibleObject.setAccessible(java.lang.reflect.AccessibleObject[], boolean) to change the visibility of the fields. This will fail under a security manager, unless the appropriate permissions are set up correctly.

Using reflection to access (private) fields circumvents any synchronization protection guarding access to these fields. If a toString method cannot safely read a field, you should exclude it from the toString method, or use synchronization consistent with the class' lock management around the invocation of the method. Take special care to exclude non-thread-safe collection classes, because these classes may throw ConcurrentModificationException if modified while the toString method is executing.

A typical invocation for this method would look like:

 public String toString() {
     return ReflectionToStringBuilder.toString(this);
 }
 

You can also use the builder to debug 3rd party objects:

 System.out.println("An object: " + ReflectionToStringBuilder.toString(anObject));
 

A subclass can control field output by overriding the methods:

For example, this method does not include the password field in the returned String:

 public String toString() {
     return (new ReflectionToStringBuilder(this) {
         protected boolean accept(Field f) {
             return super.accept(f) && !f.getName().equals("password");
         }
     }).toString();
 }
 

The exact format of the toString is determined by the ToStringStyle passed into the constructor.

Since:
2.0
Version:
$Id: ReflectionToStringBuilder.java 1200177 2011-11-10 06:14:33Z ggregory $

Field Summary
protected  String[] excludeFieldNames
          Which field names to exclude from output.
 
Constructor Summary
ReflectionToStringBuilder(Object object)
           Constructor.
ReflectionToStringBuilder(Object object, ToStringStyle style)
           Constructor.
ReflectionToStringBuilder(Object object, ToStringStyle style, StringBuffer buffer)
           Constructor.
ReflectionToStringBuilder(T object, ToStringStyle style, StringBuffer buffer, Class<? super T> reflectUpToClass, boolean outputTransients, boolean outputStatics)
          Constructor.
 
Method Summary
protected  boolean accept(Field field)
          Returns whether or not to append the given Field.
protected  void appendFieldsIn(Class<?> clazz)
           Appends the fields and values defined by the given object of the given Class.
 String[] getExcludeFieldNames()
           
 Class<?> getUpToClass()
           Gets the last super class to stop appending fields for.
protected  Object getValue(Field field)
           Calls java.lang.reflect.Field.get(Object).
 boolean isAppendStatics()
           Gets whether or not to append static fields.
 boolean isAppendTransients()
           Gets whether or not to append transient fields.
 ReflectionToStringBuilder reflectionAppendArray(Object array)
           Append to the toString an Object array.
 void setAppendStatics(boolean appendStatics)
           Sets whether or not to append static fields.
 void setAppendTransients(boolean appendTransients)
           Sets whether or not to append transient fields.
 ReflectionToStringBuilder setExcludeFieldNames(String... excludeFieldNamesParam)
          Sets the field names to exclude.
 void setUpToClass(Class<?> clazz)
           Sets the last super class to stop appending fields for.
 String toString()
           Gets the String built by this builder.
static String toString(Object object)
           Builds a toString value using the default ToStringStyle through reflection.
static String toString(Object object, ToStringStyle style)
           Builds a toString value through reflection.
static String toString(Object object, ToStringStyle style, boolean outputTransients)
           Builds a toString value through reflection.
static String toString(Object object, ToStringStyle style, boolean outputTransients, boolean outputStatics)
           Builds a toString value through reflection.
static
<T> String
toString(T object, ToStringStyle style, boolean outputTransients, boolean outputStatics, Class<? super T> reflectUpToClass)
           Builds a toString value through reflection.
static String toStringExclude(Object object, Collection<String> excludeFieldNames)
          Builds a String for a toString method excluding the given field names.
static String toStringExclude(Object object, String... excludeFieldNames)
          Builds a String for a toString method excluding the given field names.
 
Methods inherited from class org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.ToStringBuilder
append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, append, appendAsObjectToString, appendSuper, appendToString, build, getDefaultStyle, getObject, getStringBuffer, getStyle, reflectionToString, reflectionToString, reflectionToString, reflectionToString, setDefaultStyle
 
Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait
 

Field Detail

excludeFieldNames

protected String[] excludeFieldNames
Which field names to exclude from output. Intended for fields like "password".

Since:
3.0 this is protected instead of private
Constructor Detail

ReflectionToStringBuilder

public ReflectionToStringBuilder(Object object)

Constructor.

This constructor outputs using the default style set with setDefaultStyle.

Parameters:
object - the Object to build a toString for, must not be null
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object passed in is null

ReflectionToStringBuilder

public ReflectionToStringBuilder(Object object,
                                 ToStringStyle style)

Constructor.

If the style is null, the default style is used.

Parameters:
object - the Object to build a toString for, must not be null
style - the style of the toString to create, may be null
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object passed in is null

ReflectionToStringBuilder

public ReflectionToStringBuilder(Object object,
                                 ToStringStyle style,
                                 StringBuffer buffer)

Constructor.

If the style is null, the default style is used.

If the buffer is null, a new one is created.

Parameters:
object - the Object to build a toString for
style - the style of the toString to create, may be null
buffer - the StringBuffer to populate, may be null
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object passed in is null

ReflectionToStringBuilder

public ReflectionToStringBuilder(T object,
                                 ToStringStyle style,
                                 StringBuffer buffer,
                                 Class<? super T> reflectUpToClass,
                                 boolean outputTransients,
                                 boolean outputStatics)
Constructor.

Type Parameters:
T - the type of the object
Parameters:
object - the Object to build a toString for
style - the style of the toString to create, may be null
buffer - the StringBuffer to populate, may be null
reflectUpToClass - the superclass to reflect up to (inclusive), may be null
outputTransients - whether to include transient fields
outputStatics - whether to include static fields
Since:
2.1
Method Detail

toString

public static String toString(Object object)

Builds a toString value using the default ToStringStyle through reflection.

It uses AccessibleObject.setAccessible to gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.

Transient members will be not be included, as they are likely derived. Static fields will not be included. Superclass fields will be appended.

Parameters:
object - the Object to be output
Returns:
the String result
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object is null

toString

public static String toString(Object object,
                              ToStringStyle style)

Builds a toString value through reflection.

It uses AccessibleObject.setAccessible to gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.

Transient members will be not be included, as they are likely derived. Static fields will not be included. Superclass fields will be appended.

If the style is null, the default ToStringStyle is used.

Parameters:
object - the Object to be output
style - the style of the toString to create, may be null
Returns:
the String result
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object or ToStringStyle is null

toString

public static String toString(Object object,
                              ToStringStyle style,
                              boolean outputTransients)

Builds a toString value through reflection.

It uses AccessibleObject.setAccessible to gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.

If the outputTransients is true, transient members will be output, otherwise they are ignored, as they are likely derived fields, and not part of the value of the Object.

Static fields will not be included. Superclass fields will be appended.

If the style is null, the default ToStringStyle is used.

Parameters:
object - the Object to be output
style - the style of the toString to create, may be null
outputTransients - whether to include transient fields
Returns:
the String result
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object is null

toString

public static String toString(Object object,
                              ToStringStyle style,
                              boolean outputTransients,
                              boolean outputStatics)

Builds a toString value through reflection.

It uses AccessibleObject.setAccessible to gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.

If the outputTransients is true, transient fields will be output, otherwise they are ignored, as they are likely derived fields, and not part of the value of the Object.

If the outputStatics is true, static fields will be output, otherwise they are ignored.

Static fields will not be included. Superclass fields will be appended.

If the style is null, the default ToStringStyle is used.

Parameters:
object - the Object to be output
style - the style of the toString to create, may be null
outputTransients - whether to include transient fields
outputStatics - whether to include transient fields
Returns:
the String result
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object is null
Since:
2.1

toString

public static <T> String toString(T object,
                                  ToStringStyle style,
                                  boolean outputTransients,
                                  boolean outputStatics,
                                  Class<? super T> reflectUpToClass)

Builds a toString value through reflection.

It uses AccessibleObject.setAccessible to gain access to private fields. This means that it will throw a security exception if run under a security manager, if the permissions are not set up correctly. It is also not as efficient as testing explicitly.

If the outputTransients is true, transient fields will be output, otherwise they are ignored, as they are likely derived fields, and not part of the value of the Object.

If the outputStatics is true, static fields will be output, otherwise they are ignored.

Superclass fields will be appended up to and including the specified superclass. A null superclass is treated as java.lang.Object.

If the style is null, the default ToStringStyle is used.

Type Parameters:
T - the type of the object
Parameters:
object - the Object to be output
style - the style of the toString to create, may be null
outputTransients - whether to include transient fields
outputStatics - whether to include static fields
reflectUpToClass - the superclass to reflect up to (inclusive), may be null
Returns:
the String result
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - if the Object is null
Since:
2.1

toStringExclude

public static String toStringExclude(Object object,
                                     Collection<String> excludeFieldNames)
Builds a String for a toString method excluding the given field names.

Parameters:
object - The object to "toString".
excludeFieldNames - The field names to exclude. Null excludes nothing.
Returns:
The toString value.

toStringExclude

public static String toStringExclude(Object object,
                                     String... excludeFieldNames)
Builds a String for a toString method excluding the given field names.

Parameters:
object - The object to "toString".
excludeFieldNames - The field names to exclude
Returns:
The toString value.

accept

protected boolean accept(Field field)
Returns whether or not to append the given Field.

Parameters:
field - The Field to test.
Returns:
Whether or not to append the given Field.

appendFieldsIn

protected void appendFieldsIn(Class<?> clazz)

Appends the fields and values defined by the given object of the given Class.

If a cycle is detected as an object is "toString()'ed", such an object is rendered as if Object.toString() had been called and not implemented by the object.

Parameters:
clazz - The class of object parameter

getExcludeFieldNames

public String[] getExcludeFieldNames()
Returns:
Returns the excludeFieldNames.

getUpToClass

public Class<?> getUpToClass()

Gets the last super class to stop appending fields for.

Returns:
The last super class to stop appending fields for.

getValue

protected Object getValue(Field field)
                   throws IllegalArgumentException,
                          IllegalAccessException

Calls java.lang.reflect.Field.get(Object).

Parameters:
field - The Field to query.
Returns:
The Object from the given Field.
Throws:
IllegalArgumentException - see Field.get(Object)
IllegalAccessException - see Field.get(Object)
See Also:
Field.get(Object)

isAppendStatics

public boolean isAppendStatics()

Gets whether or not to append static fields.

Returns:
Whether or not to append static fields.
Since:
2.1

isAppendTransients

public boolean isAppendTransients()

Gets whether or not to append transient fields.

Returns:
Whether or not to append transient fields.

reflectionAppendArray

public ReflectionToStringBuilder reflectionAppendArray(Object array)

Append to the toString an Object array.

Parameters:
array - the array to add to the toString
Returns:
this

setAppendStatics

public void setAppendStatics(boolean appendStatics)

Sets whether or not to append static fields.

Parameters:
appendStatics - Whether or not to append static fields.
Since:
2.1

setAppendTransients

public void setAppendTransients(boolean appendTransients)

Sets whether or not to append transient fields.

Parameters:
appendTransients - Whether or not to append transient fields.

setExcludeFieldNames

public ReflectionToStringBuilder setExcludeFieldNames(String... excludeFieldNamesParam)
Sets the field names to exclude.

Parameters:
excludeFieldNamesParam - The excludeFieldNames to excluding from toString or null.
Returns:
this

setUpToClass

public void setUpToClass(Class<?> clazz)

Sets the last super class to stop appending fields for.

Parameters:
clazz - The last super class to stop appending fields for.

toString

public String toString()

Gets the String built by this builder.

Overrides:
toString in class ToStringBuilder
Returns:
the built string


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