type casting array?

[willemjav]

Is there a way to typecast an array? I have got an array of MidiDevice.Info objects which I would like to cast into an array of strings (I have a getter which return type is an array of string)

Code:

public String[] getIns() {
            if (mmj) return de.humatic.mmj.MidiSystem.getInputs(); 
            else     return ins; // javax.sound.midi.MidiDevice.Info[] ins; 
        }                            // which gives, of course an error

getMidiDeviceInfo
public static MidiDevice.Info[] getMidiDeviceInfo()
Obtains an array of information objects representing the set of all MIDI devices available on the system. A returned information object can then be used to obtain the corresponding device object, by invoking getMidiDevice.

Returns:
an array of MidiDevice.Info objects, one for each installed MIDI device. If no such devices are installed, an array of length 0 is returned.

[Fubarable]

This sounds like a very bad idea.

[willemjav]

So I did this and it works?

public Object[] getIns() {
if (mmj) return de.humatic.mmj.MidiSystem.getInputs();
else return ins;
}
or are there some bad consequences too?

[Norm]

Quote:

an array of MidiDevice.Info objects which I would like to cast into an array of strings

The objects in the array are either one type or another. You can NOT use casting to convert them.
If there is a way to get a String from an Info object, you could use a loop to extract those strings into a String[] array.

How do you use the array returned by getIns()? Does it have to be String[]? Change the references to use the toString() method of its contends and add a toString() method to the Info object to return what you want.
This might be a place to use an interface to keep control of the usage of the type returned.

[willemjav]

Norm, I use the return value to fill a combo:

ib = new JComboBox(setm.getIns());

It works when using object, because string casts up (or down)?

[Norm]

I guess it works because the toString() method of the String class overrides the one in Object to return the string allowing the JComboBox class to get at the strings.
JComboBox has a constructor that takes Object[]