Serializing and Deserializing Objects with Subtype Polymorphism

In object-oriented programming, serialization refers to the process of converting an object into a format that can be easily stored or transmitted. Deserialization, on the other hand, is the process of reconstructing the object from its serialized form. This is a common requirement when working with data persistence, distributed systems, or communication protocols.

Subtype polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass. This means that we can have a collection of objects, each belonging to a different subclass, and still manipulate them uniformly using the methods defined in the superclass. When it comes to serializing and deserializing objects with subtype polymorphism, some additional considerations need to be taken into account.

Serialization with Subtype Polymorphism

When serializing objects with subtype polymorphism, we want to preserve the specific type information of each object. This means that when we deserialize the object, we should be able to reconstruct it into the same subclass it belonged to before serialization.

To achieve this, the serialization framework needs to store the class information along with the object data. Jackson, a popular Java library for JSON processing, provides built-in support for subtype polymorphism serialization. This can be achieved by using annotations like @JsonTypeInfo and @JsonSubTypes on the superclass.

For example, consider a superclass called Shape with two subclasses Circle and Rectangle. To enable subtype polymorphism during serialization, we can annotate the Shape class as follows:

@JsonTypeInfo(
    use = JsonTypeInfo.Id.NAME,
    include = JsonTypeInfo.As.PROPERTY,
    property = "type"
)
@JsonSubTypes({
    @JsonSubTypes.Type(value = Circle.class, name = "circle"),
    @JsonSubTypes.Type(value = Rectangle.class, name = "rectangle")
})
public abstract class Shape {
    // common properties and methods
}

Here, @JsonTypeInfo specifies that we want to include the subtype information as a property named "type". @JsonSubTypes defines the mapping between the subclass types and their corresponding names.

During serialization, Jackson will add a "type" property to the serialized JSON, indicating the specific subclass type. For example:

{
  "type": "circle",
  "radius": 5.0
}

Deserialization with Subtype Polymorphism

To deserialize objects with subtype polymorphism, we need to inform the deserialization framework about the possible subclasses and their corresponding types. This can be achieved using similar annotations as used during serialization.

Continuing with the previous example, to enable subtype polymorphism during deserialization, we can annotate the Shape class as follows:

@JsonTypeInfo(
    use = JsonTypeInfo.Id.NAME,
    include = JsonTypeInfo.As.PROPERTY,
    property = "type"
)
@JsonSubTypes({
    @JsonSubTypes.Type(value = Circle.class, name = "circle"),
    @JsonSubTypes.Type(value = Rectangle.class, name = "rectangle")
})
public abstract class Shape {
    // common properties and methods
}

Now, when we deserialize the JSON representation of the object, Jackson will check the "type" property and create an instance of the corresponding subclass.

{
  "type": "circle",
  "radius": 5.0
}

ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper();
Shape shape = objectMapper.readValue(jsonString, Shape.class);

The readValue method will create a Circle object with the specified radius.

Conclusion

Serialization and deserialization of objects with subtype polymorphism can be achieved using appropriate annotations and configuration settings provided by libraries like Jackson. By preserving and utilizing the class information, we can successfully serialize and deserialize objects while maintaining their original subclass types.