Writing Obfuscated Code Using Java Generics Part 1

Let’s begin with a simple example for this installment.

import java.util.Collection;
public class TestType {
  public static <Collection> Collection myMethod(Collection a) {
    return a;
  }
  public static void main(String ... args) {
    System.out.println(myMethod("Hello World"));
  }
}

Note:
1. The import statement is obviously not required. It has been added for effect.
2. Yes, this code compiles and runs.

What we can learn from this simple example:
1. Yes, you can use any valid identifier as a type name; no need to stick to bland Sun prescribed T, K & V

2. DO NOT use an existing class name as type identifier. It can seriously obfuscate your code.