create new instance of variable class

[Fedor]

Ok,

This question might be silly to Java programmers:

in PHP you can do

$MyObject= new $ClassName(arg1,arg2[,...]);

I use this a lot when parsing scripts to create objects. Is there a way to do this with Java?

[Fubarable]

perhaps you want to look in the Reflection Tutorial.

[Fedor]

I already did. What I did learn is how to set and retrieve properties but I couldn't figure out how to create a new instance...

Reflection might very well be the right direction but maybe someone can point out te me what I was overlooking in there...

[Fubarable]

Perhaps it would be better for you to describe your ultimate goal rather than this specific step towards your goal. I know that Java and PHP have vastly different philosophies, and what works well in one language often doesn't work well in the other. Please let us know the overall problem you are trying to solve, and perhaps we can find you a better way to solve it from a Java point of view.

Best of luck.

[Fedor]

Ok, let's try it that way. What I'm trying to do is this:

The application (applet actually) reads a script that describes a customer from IT support perspective. It reads elements that will be represented by objects of different classes. Some o those classes are containers, others are end-nodes. examples are:
- building
- floor/level
- office
- meetingroom
- copier
- computer
- printer

etc...

So my script could be:

BUILDING:Mainroad6
  FLOOR:Ground Floor
     OFFICE:0.01
        COMPUTER:FG-PC-0005
        COMPUTER:FG-PC-0006
        PRINTER:FG-PR-0100
     MEETINGROOM:0.03
        BEAMER:FG-BM-0034
etc...

The application reads the script and creates the objects that are mentioned in the script.

I expect to have about 80 different objects, so I was hoping to do this whithour switching of if's...

[DarrylBurke]

To create an instance of a class without using the customary 'new' operator, you use Class#newInstance() or Constructor#newInstance. Read the API for those methods.

db