Evolving Java-based APIs

Written by Jim des Rivières

Revision history:
June 8, 2001 - revision 1.02 - Added note about breakage due to adding API method to classes that may be subclassed.
January 15, 2001 - revision 1.01 - Added suggestion about making obsolete hook methods final.
October 6, 2000 - revision 1.0

This document is about how to evolve Java-based APIs while maintaining compatibility with existing client code. Without loss of generality, we'll assume that there is a generic Component with a Component API, with one party providing the Component and controlling its API. The other party, or parties, write Client code that use the Component's services through its API. This is a very typical arrangement.

API Java Elements

All parties need to understand which Java elements (packages, interfaces, classes, methods, constructors, and fields) are part of the Component API, which Clients may use, and those which are part of the internal Component implementation and are off limits to Clients. Having a clearly-defined and marked boundary between API and non-API is therefore very important. The following convention uses the visibility-limiting features of the Java language to distinguish those Java elements which are considered API from those which are not:

API package - a package that contains at least one API class or API interface. The names of API packages are advertised in the Component documentation. These names will appear in Client code; the names of non-API packages should never appear in Client code. Note that Clients must be prohibited from declaring their code in Component packages (API or otherwise).

API class - a public class in an API package, or a public or protected class member declared in, or inherited by, some other API class or interface. The names of API classes appear in Client code.

API interface - a public interface in an API package, or a public or protected interface member declared in, or inherited by, some other API class or interface. The names of API interfaces appear in Client code.

API method - a public or protected method either declared in, or inherited by, an API class or interface. The names of API methods appear in Client code.

API constructor - a public or protected constructor of an API class. The names of API constructors appear in Client code.

API field - a public or protected field either declared in, or inherited by, an API class or interface. The names of API fields appear in Client code.

The following elements are not considered API:

• Any package that is not advertised in the Component documentation as an API package.
• All classes and interfaces declared in non-API packages. However, when API classes and interface extend or implement non-API classes, the non-API classes and interface may contribute API elements nevertheless.
• Non-public classes and interfaces in API packages.
• Default access and private methods, constructors, fields, and type members declared in, or inherited by, API classes and interfaces.

API Prime Directive

As the Component evolves from release to release, there is an absolute requirement to not break existing Clients that were written in conformance to Component APIs in an earlier release.

API Prime Directive: When evolving the Component API from release to release, do not break existing Clients.

Changing an API in a way that is incompatible with existing Clients would mean that all Clients would need to be revised (and even in instances where no actual changes are required, the Client code would still need to be reviewed to ensure that it still works with the revised API). Customers upgrading to a new release of the Component would need to upgrade all their Clients at the same time. Since the overall cost of invalidating existing Client code is usually very high, the more realistic approach is to only change the API in ways that do not invalidate existing Clients.

As the Component API evolves, all pre-existing Clients are expected to continue to work, both in principle and in practice. <p>Suppose a Client was written to a given release of the Component and abided by the contracts spelled out in the Component API specification.
The first requirement is that when the Component API evolves to follow-on releases, all pre-existing Client must still be legal according to the contracts spelled out in the revised Component API specification, without having to change the Clients source code. This is what is meant by continuing to work in principle.

API Contract Compatibility: API changes must not invalidate formerly legal Client code.

Since the set of Clients is open-ended, and we have no way of knowing exactly which aspects of the API are being counted on, the only safe assumption to make when evolving APIs is that every aspect of the API matters to some hypothetical Client, and that any incompatible change to the API contract will cause that hypothetical Client to fail.

API Usage Assumption: Every aspect of the API matters to some Client.

Under this assumption, deleting something in the API, or backtracking on some promise made in the API, will certainly break some Client. For this reason, obsolete API elements are notoriously difficult to get rid of. Obsolete API elements should be marked as deprecated and point new customers at the new API that replaces it, but need to continue working as advertised for a couple more releases until the expense of breakage is low enough that it can be deleted. <p>Clients are generally written in Java and are compiled to standard Java binary class files. A Client's class files are typically stored in a JAR file on the Client's library path. It would be unsatisfactory if a Client's class files, which were compiled against one release of the Component, do not successfully link and execute correctly with all later releases of the Component. This is what is meant by continuing to work in practice.

API Binary Compatibility: Pre-existing Client binaries must link and run with new releases of the Component without recompiling.

Achieving API binary compatibility requires being sensitive to the Java language's notion of binary compatibility JLS2, chapter 13.

While the idea that the Java source code for existing Clients should continue to compile without errors against the revised Component API, this is not strictly necessary (and not always achievable). For instance, adding a new public interface to an existing API package may introduce an ambiguous package reference into source code containing multiple on-demand type (".*") imports. Similarly, removing a method throws declaration for a checked exception may cause the compiler to detect dead code in a try-catch block. Happily, the kinds of problems that could be introduced into Client source code can always be easily corrected. The notion of API source compatibility is not a requirement. (Note: Problems detected by a Java compiler are therefore not necessarily indicators of any kind of API compatibility that we care about.)

The following sections discuss how API contract and binary compatibility can be achieved.

Achieving API Contract Compatibility

"How could I have broken anything? All I did was change a comment."

Since API contracts are captured by the API specification, any change to the API specification risks making code written against the old specification incompatible with the revised specification. <p>The most confining situation is an API that is specified by one party, implemented by a separate second party, and used by yet a different third party. For example, a standards body promulgates a pure specification (such as the HTTP protocol) but leaves it up to others to write browsers and servers. In such cases, making any changes to the existing specification will almost certainly break client code, implementations, or both. <p>Fortunately, the case is typically lop-sided. Most commonly, the party responsible for specifying the API also provides the sole implementation. Indeed, this is our earlier assumption about the Component. In this situation, the API owner can unilaterally decide to change the API specification and fix up the implementation to match. However, since they can't do anything about the client code already using the API, the changed API must be contract compatible with the old API: all existing contractual obligations must be honored. Contracts can be tightened to allow users to assume more (and require the implementation to do more); this does not invalidate existing code which would have been written assuming less. Conversely, contracts cannot be loosened to require users to assume less, as this could break existing uses. <p>Note that in some cases, the contractual roles are reversed. The party responsible for specifying the API provides the uses, whereas other parties provide the implementations. Callback interfaces are a prime example of this situation. Contracts can be loosened to require implementors to provide less (and allow the client to assume less); this does not invalidate existing implementations which would have been written under more stringent rules. Conversely, contracts cannot be tightened to require implementors to provide more, as this could break existing implementations. <p>When contemplating changing an existing API contract, the key questions to ask are:

• What roles does the API contract involve?
  For a method contract, there is the caller and the implementor. In the case of frameworks, there is also an additional contract between superclass and subclass regarding default behavior, extending, and overriding.
• Which role or roles will each party play?
  For many Component API methods, the Component plays the role of exclusive implementor and the Client plays the role of caller. In the case of Component callbacks, the Component plays the caller role and the Client plays the implementor role. In some cases, the Client might play more than one role.
• Is a role played exclusively by the Component?
  Component API changes coincide with Component releases, making it feasible to change Component code to accommodate the changed APIs.
• For roles played by Clients, would the contemplated API change render invalid a hypothetical Client making legal usage of the existing API?

The following examples illustrate how this analysis is done.

Example 1 - Changing a method postcondition

Standard method contracts have two roles: caller and implementor. Method postconditions are those things that an implementor must arrange to be true before returning from the method, and that a caller may presume to be true after the return. This first example involves a change to a postcondition.

Consider the following API method specification:

/** Returns the list of children of this widget.
 * @return a non-empty list of widgets
 */
Widget[] getChildren();

The contemplated API change is to allow the empty list of widgets to be returned as well, as captured by this revised specification:

/** Returns the list of children of this widget.
 * @return a list of widgets
 */
Widget[] getChildren();

Would this change break compatibility with existing Clients? It depends on the role played by the Client.

Looking at the caller role, this change would break a hypothetical pre-existing caller that legitimately counts on the result being non-empty. The relevant snippet from this hypothetical caller might read:

Widget[] children = widget.getChildren();
Widget firstChild = children[0];

Under the revised contract, this code would be seen to be in error because it assumes that the result of invoking getChildren is non-empty; under the previous contract, this assumption was just fine. This API change weakens a postcondition for the caller, and is not contract compatible for the caller role. The contemplated change would break Clients playing the caller role.

Looking at the implementor role, this change would not break a hypothetical pre-existing implementor which never return empty results anyway. Weakening a method postcondition is contract compatible for the implementor role. The contemplated change would not break Clients playing the implementor role.

So the answer as to whether this change breaks compatibility with existing Clients hinges on which role(s) the Client plays.

Another form of postcondition change is changing the set of checked exceptions that a method throws.

Example 2 - Changing a method precondition

Method preconditions are those things that a caller must arrange to be true before calling the method, and that an implementor may presume to be true on entry. This second example involves a change to a precondition.

Consider the following API method specification:

/** Removes the given widgets from this widget's list of children.
 * @param widgets a non-empty list of widgets
 */
void remove(Widget[] widgets);

The contemplated API change is to allow empty lists of widgets to be passed in as well:

/** Removes the given widgets from this widget's list of children.
 * @param widgets a list of widgets
 */
void remove(Widget[] widgets);

Would this change break compatibility with existing Clients? Again, it hinges on the role played by the Client.

Looking at the caller role, this change would not break hypothetical pre-existing callers since they pass in non-empty lists. However, this change would break a hypothetical pre-existing implementations that legitimately assumed that the argument is not empty.

The relevant snippet from this hypothetical implementor might read:

Widget firstChild = widgets[0];

Under the revised contract, this code would be seen to be in error because it assumes that the argument is non-empty; under the previous contract, this assumption was just fine. This API change weakens a method precondition, and is not contract compatible for the implementor role. The contemplated change would break Clients that implement this method.

Example 3 - Changing a field invariant

Fields can be analyzed as having two roles: a getter and a setter. The Java language does not separate these roles particularly, but it does have the notion of final fields which eliminates setters from the equation. (Perhaps a better way to divvy this up is to say that there is a getter role and a getter/setter role.)  The API specification for a field is usually in the form of an invariant that holds for the lifetime of the field.

Consider the following API field specification:

/** This widget's list of children, or <code>null</code>.
 */
Widget[] children;

The contemplated API change is to get rid of the possibility of the null value:

/** This widget's list of children.
 */
Widget[] children;

Would this change break compatibility with existing Clients?

This change would break a hypothetical pre-existing setter that legitimately sets the field to null. On the other hand, it would not break a hypothetical pre-existing getter that legitimately had to assume that the field could be null. This API change weakens a field invariant, and is not contract compatible for the setter role.

Example 4 - Adding an API method

Can adding an API method to a class or interface break compatibility with existing Clients?

If the method is added to an interface which Clients may implement, then it is definitely a breaking change.

If the method is added to a class (interface) which Clients are not allowed to subclass (to implement), then it is not a breaking change.

However, if the method is added to a class which Clients may subclass, then the change should ordinarily be viewed as a breaking change. The reason for this harsh conclusion is because of the possibility that a Client's subclass already has its own implementation of a method by that name. Adding the API method to the superclass undercuts the Client's code since it would be sheer coincidence if the Client's existing method met the API contract of the newly added method. In practice, if the likelihood of this kind of name coincidence is sufficiently low, this kind of change is often treated as if it were non-breaking.

General Rules for Contract Compatibility

Whether a particular Component API change breaks or maintains contract compatibility with hypothetical pre-existing Clients hinges on which role, or roles, the Client plays in the API contract(s) being changed. The following table summarizes the pattern seen in the above examples:
 

Method preconditions	Strengthen	Breaks compatibility for callers	Contract compatible for implementors
	Weaken	Contract compatible for callers	Breaks compatibility for implementors
Method postconditions	Strengthen	Contract compatible for callers	Breaks compatibility for implementors
	Weaken	Breaks compatibility for callers	Contract compatible for implementors
Field invariants	Strengthen	Contract compatible for getters	Breaks compatibility for setters
	Weaken	Breaks compatibility for getters	Contract compatible for setters

Achieving API Binary Compatibility

"[A]n object-oriented model must be carefully designed so

that class-library transformations that should not break already compiled applications, indeed, do not break such applications."
---Ira Forman, Michael Conner, Scott Danforth, and Larry Raper, "Release-to-Release Binary Compatibility in SOM", in Proceedings of OOPSLA '95.

Achieving API binary compatibility depends in part on the Java language's notion of binary compatibility:

"A change to a type is binary compatible with (equivalently, does not break binary compatibility with) preexisting binaries if preexisting binaries that previously linked without error will continue to link without error." (JLS2, 13.2)

Reference: Gosling, Joy, Steele, and Bracha, The Java Language Specification, Second Edition, Addison-Wesley, 2000; chapter 13 Binary Compatibility.

The tables in the following sections summarize which kinds of changes break API binary compatibility.

Bear in mind that many changes will have effects in several places. For example, defining a new public interface with one public method and adding that interface as the superinterface of an existing interface has the following ramifications:

• a new public API interface is added to an API package
• the superinterface set of the existing API interface has expanded
• a new public API method is added to the existing API interface

Each of these individual net effects could break binary compatibility. Use the tables to determine whether the net effects preserve or break compatibility.

Evolving API packages

It is always possible to evolve the Component API to include a new API package. However, once introduced in a release, an API package cannot easily be withdrawn from service. When an API package becomes obsolete, its API classes and API interfaces should continue to work but be marked as deprecated. After a couple of releases, it may be possible to phase out an obsolete API package. <p>The names of non-public (non-API) classes and interfaces in API packages do not appear in Client source code or binaries. Non-API classes and interfaces can be added or deleted without jeopardizing binary compatibility. However, once made public in a release, these classes and interfaces are part of the API and cannot easily be withdrawn from service without breaking existing Clients. When an API class or interface becomes obsolete, it should continue to work but be marked as deprecated.
 

Add API package	-	Binary compatible
Delete API package	-	Breaks compatibility
Add API interface to API package	-	Binary compatible
Delete API interface from API package	-	Breaks compatibility
Add API class to API package	-	Binary compatible
Delete API class from API package	-	Breaks compatibility
Add non-public (non-API) class or interface to API package	-	Binary compatible
Delete non-public (non-API) class or interface from API package	-	Binary compatible
Change non-public (non-API) class or interface in API package to make public (API)	-	Binary compatible
Change public class or interface in API package to make non-public	-	Breaks compatibility
Replace API class by API interface of same name	-	Breaks compatibility (1)
Replace API interface by API class of same name	-	Breaks compatibility (1)

<p>(1) API class-interface gender changes break binary compatibility, even in cases where the class/interface is used by, but not implemented by, Clients. This is because the Java VM bytecodes for invoking a method declared in an interface are different from the ones used for invoking a method declared in a class.

Evolving API Interfaces

Evolving API interfaces is somewhat more straightforward than API classes since all methods are public and abstract, all fields are public static and final, all type members are public and static, and there are no constructors.

Add API method	If method need not be implemented by Client	Binary compatible (0)
	If method must be implemented by Client	Breaks compatibility (1)
Delete API method	-	Breaks compatibility
Add API field	If interface not implementable by Clients	Binary compatible
	If interface implementable by Clients	Breaks compatibility (2)
Delete API field	-	Breaks compatibility
Expand superinterface set (direct or inherited)	-	Binary compatible
Contract superinterface set (direct or inherited)	-	Breaks compatibility (3)
Add, delete, or change static initializers	-	Binary compatible
Add API type member	If interface not implementable by Clients	Binary compatible
	If interface implementable by Clients	Breaks compatibility (2)
Delete API type member	-	Breaks compatibility
Re-order field, method, and type member declarations	-	Binary compatible

(0) Although adding a new method to an API interface which need not be reimplemented by Clients does not break binary compatibility, a pre-existing Client subclass of an existing implementation might still provide a pre-existing implementation of a method by this name. See #Example 4 - Adding an API method in the preceding section for why this breaks API contract compatibility.

(1) Adding a new method to an API interface that is implemented by Clients (e.g., a callback, listener, or visitor interface) breaks compatibility because hypothetical pre-existing implementations do not implement the new method.

(2) Adding an API field to an API interface that is implemented by Clients (e.g., a callback, listener, or visitor interface) breaks binary compatibility in a different way. A field added to a superinterface of C may hide an instance field inherited from a superclass of C, causing linking errors to be detected. Because of this fact, it is important to distinguish between API interfaces that Clients should implement from those that Clients should merely use. API interfaces that Clients should implement should not include fields.

(3) Shrinking the set of API interfaces that a given API interfaces extends (either directly or inherited) breaks compatibility because some casts between API interfaces in hypothetical pre-existing Client code between will no longer work. However, non-API superinterfaces can be removed without breaking binary compatibility.

Evolving API interfaces - API methods

All methods in an API interface are implicitly public and abstract, and are therefore all considered API methods.

Change formal parameter name	-	Binary compatible
Change method name	-	Breaks compatibility
Add or delete formal parameter	-	Breaks compatibility
Change type of a formal parameter	-	Breaks compatibility
Change result type (including void)	-	Breaks compatibility
Add checked exceptions thrown	-	Breaks compatibility (1)
Add unchecked exceptions thrown	-	Binary compatible
Delete checked exceptions thrown	-	Breaks compatibility (1)
Delete unchecked exceptions thrown	-	Binary compatible
Re-order list of exceptions thrown	-	Binary compatible

<p>(1) Adding and deleting checked exceptions declared as thrown by an API method does not break binary compatibility; however, it breaks contract compatibility (and source code compatibility).

Evolving API interfaces - API fields

All fields in an API interface are implicitly public, static, and final; they are therefore all considered API fields.

Because of binary compatibility problems with fields, the Java Language Specification recommends against using API fields. However, this is not always possible; in particular, enumeration constants to be used in switch statements must be defined as API fields.

Change type of API field	-	Breaks compatibility (1)
Change value of API field	If field is compile-time constant value	Breaks compatibility (2)
	If field is not compile-time constant value	Binary compatible

(1) All field type changes break binary compatibility, even seemingly innocuous primitive type widenings like turning a short into an int.

(2) Java compilers always inline the value of constant fields (ones with compile-time computable values, whether primitive or String type). As a consequence, changing the value of an API constant field does not affect pre-existing Clients. Invariably, this fails to meet the objective for changing the API field's value in the first place.

Evolving API interfaces - API type members

All type members in an API interface are implicitly public and static; they are therefore considered API type members. The rules for evolving an API type member are basically the same as for API classes and interfaces declared at the package level.

Evolving API Classes

Evolving API classes is somewhat more complex than API interfaces due to the wider variety of modifiers, including protected API members.
 

Add API method	If method need not be reimplemented by Client	Binary compatible (0)
	If method must be reimplemented by Client	Breaks compatibility (1)
Delete API method	-	Breaks compatibility
Add API constructor	If there are other constructors	Binary compatible
	If this is only constructor	Breaks compatibility (2)
Delete API constructor	-	Breaks compatibility
Add API field	If class is not subclassable by Client	Binary compatible
	If class is subclassable by Client	Breaks compatibility (3)
Delete API field	-	Breaks compatibility
Expand superinterface set (direct or inherited)	-	Binary compatible
Contract superinterface set (direct or inherited)	-	Breaks compatibility (4)
Expand superclass set (direct or inherited)	-	Binary compatible
Contract superclass set (direct or inherited)	-	Breaks compatibility (4)
Add, delete, or change static or instance initializers	-	Binary compatible
Add API type member	If class is not subclassable by Client	Binary compatible
	If class is subclassable by Client	Breaks compatibility (3)
Delete API type member	-	Breaks compatibility
Re-order field, method, constructor, and type member declarations	-	Binary compatible
Add or delete non-API members; that is, private or default access fields, methods, constructors, and type members	-	Binary compatible
Change abstract to non-abstract	-	Binary compatible
Change non-abstract to abstract	-	Breaks compatibility (5)
Change final to non-final	-	Binary compatible
Change non-final to final	-	Breaks compatibility (6)

(0) Although adding a new method to an API class which need not be reimplemented by Clients does not break binary compatibility, a pre-existing subclass might still provide a pre-existing implementation of a method by this name. See #Example 4 Adding an API method in the preceding section for why this breaks API contract compatibility.

(1) Adding a new method to an API class that must be reimplemented by Clients breaks compatibility because pre-existing subclasses would not provide any such implementation.

(2) Adding the first constructor to an API class causes the compiler to no longer generate a default (public, 0 argument) constructor, thereby breaking compatibility with pre-existing code that invoked this API constructor. To avoid this pitfall, API classes should always explicitly declare at least one constructor.

(3) Adding a new field to an API class that is subclassed by Clients breaks binary compatibility. A field in a superinterface of C may hide an added field inherited from a superclass of C, causing linking errors to be detected when a static field hides an instance field. Apart from the binary compatibility issues, it is generally good software engineering practice that API classes should not expose any fields.

(4) Shrinking an API class's set of API superclasses and superinterfaces (either directly or inherited) breaks compatibility because some casts in pre-existing Client code will now longer work. However, non-API superclasses and superinterfaces can be removed without breaking binary compatibility.

(5) Pre-existing binaries that attempt to create new instances of the API class will fail with a link-time or runtime error.

(6) Pre-existing binaries that subclass the API class will fail with a link-time error.

Evolving API classes - API methods and constructors

Change body of method or constructor	-	Binary compatible
Change formal parameter name	-	Binary compatible
Change method name	-	Breaks compatibility
Add or delete formal parameter	-	Breaks compatibility
Change type of a formal parameter	-	Breaks compatibility
Change result type (including void)	-	Breaks compatibility
Add checked exceptions thrown	-	Breaks compatibility (1)
Add unchecked exceptions thrown	-	Binary compatible
Delete checked exceptions thrown	-	Breaks compatibility (1)
Delete unchecked exceptions thrown	-	Binary compatible
Re-order list of exceptions thrown	-	Binary compatible
Decrease access; that is, from protected access to default or private access; or from public access to protected, default, or private access	-	Breaks compatibility
Increase access; that is, from protected access to public access	-	Binary compatible (2)
Change abstract to non-abstract	-	Binary compatible
Change non-abstract to abstract	-	Breaks compatibility (3)
Change final to non-final	-	Binary compatible
Change non-final to final	If method not reimplementable by Clients	Binary compatible
	If method reimplementable by Clients	Breaks compatibility (4)
Change static to non-static	-	Breaks compatibility
Change non-static to static	-	Breaks compatibility
Change native to non-native	-	Binary compatible
Change non-native to native	-	Binary compatible
Change synchronized to non-synchronized	-	Binary compatible (5)
Change non-synchronized to synchronized	-	Binary compatible (5)

<p>(1) Adding and deleting checked exceptions declared as thrown by an API method does not break binary compatibility; however, it breaks contract compatibility (and source code compatibility). <p>(2) Perhaps surprisingly, the binary format is defined so that changing a member or constructor to be more accessible does not cause a linkage error when a subclass (already) defines a method to have less access. <p>(3) Pre-existing binaries that invoke the method will fail with a runtime error. <p>(4) Pre-existing binaries that reimplement the method will fail with a link-time error. <p>(5) Adding or removing the synchronized modifier also has a bearing on the method's behavior in a multi-threaded world, and may therefore raise a question of contract compatibility.

Evolving API classes - API fields

Because of binary compatibility problems with fields, the Java Language Specification recommends against using API fields. However, this is not always possible; in particular, enumeration constants to be used in switch statements must be defined as API constant fields.
 

Change type of API field	-	Breaks compatibility (1)
Change value of API field	If field is compile-time constant	Breaks compatibility (2)
	If field is not compile-time constant	Binary compatible
Decrease access; that is, from protected access to default or private access; or from public access to protected, default, or private access	-	Breaks compatibility
Increase access; that is, from protected access to public access	-	Binary compatible
Change final to non-final	If field is non-static	Binary compatible
	If field is static with compile-time constant value	Breaks compatibility (3)
	If field is static with non-compile-time constant value	Binary compatible
Change non-final to final	-	Breaks compatibility (4)
Change static to non-static	-	Breaks compatibility (5)
Change non-static to static	-	Breaks compatibility (5)
Change transient to non-transient	-	Binary compatible
Change non-transient to transient	-	Binary compatible

<p>(1) All field type changes break binary compatibility, even seemingly innocuous primitive type widenings link turning a short into an

int. <p>(2) Java compilers always inline the value of constant fields (ones with compile-time computable values, whether primitive or String type). As a consequence, changing the value of an API constant field does not affect pre-existing Clients. Invariably, this does not meet the objective for changing the API field's value. <p>(3) Java compilers always inline the value of constant fields (ones with a compile-time computable values, whether primitive or Stringtype). As a consequence, changing an API constant field into a non-final one does not propagate to pre-existing Clients. Invariably, this does not meet the objective for making the API field non-final. <p>(4) Making an API field final breaks compatibility with pre-existing binaries that attempt to assign new values to the field. <p>(5) Changing whether an API field is declared static or not results in link-time errors where the field is used by a pre-existing binary which expected a field of the other kind.

Evolving API classes - API type members

The rules for evolving an API type member are basically the same as for API classes and interfaces declared at the package level, with these additional rules for changing access modifiers:
 

Decrease access; that is, from protected access to default or private access; or from public access to protected, default, or private access	-	Breaks compatibility
Increase access; that is, from protected access to public access	-	Binary compatible

Evolving non-API packages

The names of non-API packages, classes, and interfaces do not appear in Client source code or binaries. Consequently, non-API packages, classes, and interfaces can be added or deleted without jeopardizing binary compatibility. However, when non-API classes and interfaces containing public or protected members are among the superclass or superinterface sets of API classes and interfaces, non-API changes may have ramifications to API methods, fields, and constructors.

 

Add non-API package	-	Binary compatible
Delete non-API package	-	Binary compatible
Add class or interface to non-API package	-	Binary compatible
Delete class or interface in a non-API package	-	Binary compatible
Change existing class or interface in non-API package	-	Binary compatible

Data Compatibility

The Component implementation may need to store and retrieve its internal data from a file. For example, Microsoft Word stores a document in a file. When one of these files may live from release to release, clients would break if the format or interpretation of that data changed in an incompatible way.
Data compatibility is an additional issue for components with persistent data. <p>The standard technique is to tag all stored data with its format version number. The format version number is increased when the format is changed from one release to the next. The Component implementation contains readers for the current format version and for all past versions, but usually only the writer for the current format version (unless for some reason there is an ongoing need to write older versions).

Standard Workarounds

When evolving APIs, the prime directive places serious constraints on how this can be done. <p>Here are some standard techniques that come in handy when you're caught between a rock and a hard place. They're not necessarily pretty, but they get the job done.

Deprecate and Forward

When some part of the Component API is made obsolete by some new and improved Component API, the old API should be marked as deprecated using the @deprecated Javadoc tag (the comment directing the reader attention to the replacement API). When feasible, the implementation of the old API should forward the message to the corresponding method in the replacement API; doing so will mean that any performance improvements or bug fixes made to the implementation of the new API will automatically be of benefit to clients of the old API.

Start over in a New Package

Even simpler than Deprecate and Forward, the Component API and implementation can be redone in new packages. The old API and implementation are left in the old location untouched, except to mark them as deprecated. Old and new API and implementations co-exist independent of one another.

Adding an argument

Here is a simple technique for adding an argument to a method that is intended to be overridden by subclasses. For example the Viewer.inputChanged(Object input) method should get an additional argument Object oldInput. Adding the argument results in pre-existing clients overridding the wrong method. The workaround is to call the old method as the default implementation of the new method:

public void inputChanged(Object input, Object oldInput) {
   inputChanged(input);
}

Pre-existing clients which override the old method continue to work; and all calls to the old method continue to work New or upgraded clients will override the new method; and all calls to the new method will work, even if they happen to invoke an old implementation.

"2" Convention

The first release of an API callback-style interface didn't work as well as hoped. For example, the first release contained:

public interface IProgressMonitor {
   void start();
   void stop();
}

You now wish you had something like:

public interface IProgressMonitor {
   void start(int total);
   void worked(int units);
   void stop();
}

But it's too late to change IProgressMonitor to be that API. So you mark IProgressMonitor as deprecated and introduce the new and improved one under the name IProgressMonitor2 (a name everyone recognizes as the second attempt):

public interface IProgressMonitor2 extends IProgressMonitor {
   void start(int total);
   void worked(int units);
   void stop();
}

By declaring the new interface to extend the old one, any object of type IProgressMonitor2 can be passed to a method expecting an old IProgressMonitor.

COM Style

The "COM style" is to not implement interfaces directly but to ask for an interface by using getAdapter(someInterfaceID). This allows adding new interfaces in the implementation without breaking existing classes.

Making Obsolete Hook Methods Final

As a framework evolves, it may sometimes be necessary to break compatibility. When compatibility is being broken knowingly, there are some tricks that make it easier for broken clients to find and fix the breakage. <p>A common situation occurs when the signature of a framework hook method is changed. Overridding a hook method that is no longer called by the base class can be tough to track down, especially if the base class contains a default implementation of the hook method. In order to make this jump out, the obsolete method should be marked as final in addition to being deprecated. This ensures that existing subclasses which override the obsolete method will no longer compile or link.

Defective API Specifications

As hard as one might try, achieving perfect APIs is difficult. The harsh reality is that some parts of large Component API will be specified better than others. <p>One problem is specification bugs---when the API spec actually says the wrong thing. Every effort should be made to catch these prior to release. <p>Another problem is underspecification---when the API spec does not specify enough. In some cases, the implementor will notice this before the API is ever released. In other cases, the specification will be adequate for the implementor's needs but inadequate for clients. When an API is released in advance of serious usage from real clients, it may be discovered too late that the specification should have been tighter or, even worse, that the API should have been designed differently.

<p>When you find out that you're saddled with a defective API specification, these points are worth bearing in mind:

• APIs are not sacrosanct; it's just that breaking compatibility is usually very costly. For a truly unusable feature, the cost is likely much lower.
• Tightening up a seriously weak specification can often be achieved without breaking compatibility by changing the specification in a way consistent with the existing implementation. That is, codify more of how it actually works to ensure that clients that currently work continue to work in subsequent releases.
• Breaking compatibility in a limited way may be cheaper in the long run that leaving a bad patch of API as it is.
• If you break compatibility between releases, do it in a controlled way that only breaks those Clients that actually utilize of the bad parts of the API. This localizes the pain to affected Clients (and their downstream customers), rather than foisting a "Big Bang" release on everyone.
• Document all breaking API changes in the release notes. Clients appreciate this much more than discovering for themselves that you knowingly broke them.

A Word about Source Code Incompatibilities

While the idea that the Java source code for existing Clients should continue to compile without errors against the revised Component API, this is not strictly necessary (and not always achievable). API contract and binary compatibility are the only hard requirements. Source code incompatibilities are not worth losing sleep over because the Client's owner can easily correct these problems if they do arise with only localized editing of the source code. <p>The following is a list of known kinds of Java source code incompatibilities that can arise as APIs evolve:

• Ambiguities involving type-import-on-demand declarations.
• Triggered by: adding an API class or interface.
• Remedy: add single type import declaration to disambiguate.
• Avoidance strategy: use at most one type-import-on-demand declaration per compilation unit.
• Ambiguities involving overloaded methods.
• Triggered by: adding an overloaded API method or constructor.
• Remedy: add casts to disambiguate ambiguously typed arguments.
• Avoidance strategy: put casts on null arguments.
• Ambiguities involving field and type member hiding.
• Triggered by: adding an API field.
• Remedy: add qualification to disambiguate ambiguous field references.
• Avoidance strategy: none.
• Ambiguities involving fields and local variables.
• Triggered by: adding an API field.
• Remedy: rename conflicting local variables to avoid new field name.
• Avoidance strategy: don't declared API fields in classes and interfaces that Clients implement.
• Problems involving checked exceptions thrown by methods.
• Triggered by: removing checked exceptions from a method's throws clause.
• Remedy: add or remove exception handlers as required.
• Avoidance strategy: none.

Copyright © 2000, 2006 IBM Corporation</pre>