Boxing and Widening

Question

What is the difference between these two. I know Boxing is converting primitive values to reference. What is widening. Also what should be the sequence first boxing should b

Answer 1

I think the order is pretty fascinating. I made out the following playground to see every possible combination. This are my functions:

static void doSomeThing(short i) {
    System.out.println("short");
}

static void doSomeThing(short... i) {
    System.out.println("short...");
}

static void doSomeThing(Short i) {
    System.out.println("SHORT");
}

static void doSomeThing(Short... i) {
    System.out.println("SHORT...");
}

static void doSomeThing(long i) {
    System.out.println("long");
}

static void doSomeThing(long... i) {
    System.out.println("long...");
}

static void doSomeThing(Long i) {
    System.out.println("LONG");
}

static void doSomeThing(Long... i) {
    System.out.println("LONG...");
}

static void doSomeThing(int i) {
    System.out.println("int");
}

static void doSomeThing(int... i) {
    System.out.println("int...");
}

static void doSomeThing(Integer i) {
    System.out.println("INTEGER");
}

static void doSomeThing(Integer... i) {
    System.out.println("INTEGER...");
}

static void doSomeThing(Object i) {
    System.out.println("Object");
}

static void doSomeThing(Object... i) {
    System.out.println("Object...");
}

Rules:

 1.Searches for exactly the same type (int -> int)
 2.Widening (int -> long)
 3.Boxing (int-> Integer, it is NEVER possible to implicit box AND wide (int -> Long NOT possible without cast))
 !!Multiple boxing go BEFORE var args!!
 int -> Object will be chosen before int -> int...
 4.Var args (int -> int...)
 5.Widening + var args (int -> long...)
 6.Boxing + var args (int -> Integer...)
 7.Boxing + widening + var args (int -> Object...)

public class Main{

    public static void main(String...args) {
        //primitive int
        int i = 0;
        doSomeThing(i); //int
        //commented out doSomeThing(int i){}
        doSomeThing(i); //long. It is not possible to narrow, so short, short... Short and Short... will NEVER be called when the input is larger than a short.
        //commented out doSomeThing(long i){}
        doSomeThing(i); //INTEGER
        //commented out doSomething(Integer i){}
        doSomeThing(i); //Object. Notice that there can be multiple boxing before moving to var args
                            //Error occured: compiler if confused: can either execute int..., long..., Object... or Integer...
        //Object... and Integer... are commented out, because in the real world int... will be called first
        doSomeThing(i); //int...
        //commented out int...
        doSomeThing(i); //long...
        //commented out long... and uncommented Integer...
        doSomeThing(i); //Integer...
        //commented out Integer... and uncommented Object...
        doSomeThing(i); //Object...

                //Integer
        //Integer
        Integer i = new Integer(0);
        doSomeThing(i); //INTEGER
        //commented out doSomeThing(Integer i)
        doSomeThing(i); //Object
        //commented out doSomeThing(Object i)
        doSomeThing(i); //int
        //commented out doSomeThing(int i)
        doSomeThing(i); //long so NOT int... it goes widening again
        //commented out doSomeThing(long i)
                        //Error occured: compliler refused: not both have int..., long..., Integer... and Object...
        //int... and long... are commented out
        doSomeThing(i); //INTEGER...
        //commented out doSomeThing(Integer... i)
        doSomeThing(i); //Object...
        //commented out doSomeThing(Object... i)
        //uncommented doSomeThing(int... and long...)
        doSomeThing(i); //int...
        //uncommented doSomeThing(int... i)
        doSomeThing(i); //long...
    }