Flexible Constructor Bodies: A Preview Feature in Java 24 (JEP 492)
With the introduction of JEP 492, Java brings a new way to handle constructors, making them more flexible and intuitive. This enhancement allows developers to include statements before an explicit constructor invocation ( super() or this() ) — something that was previously forbidden. Let’s explore how this improves constructor behaviour, making code simpler and more maintainable. Old Behaviour In Java, constructors followed a rigid rule: the first statement in a constructor must be an explicit constructor invocation ( super() or this() ). If omitted, the compiler automatically added super() . This ensured that superclass constructors executed first, guaranteeing safe object initialisation. take an example where we want to validate arguments - Example: Argument Validation in Old Java public class PositiveBigInteger extends BigInteger { public PositiveBigInteger(long value) { super(value); // Must call super firs...