[jdt-core-dev] Unnecessary type checks (cast/instanceof)

["Philippe P Mulet" <philippe_mulet@xxxxxxxxxx>]

If you get your hands onto JDT/Core from HEAD, it contains support for
detecting unnecessary type checks. Until UI provides preference page for
it, you can enable it by adding
the line:

org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.unnecessaryTypeCheck=warning

to file:

<workspace>\.metadata\.plugins\org.eclipse.jdt.core\pref_store.ini

NOTE: this new behavior is operational, but not final yet (it should soon
detect a few more scenarii: conditional expressions and unnecessary
narrowing cast, also see bug 35442).

Now some teasing stats:

With following optional warnings enabled:
- unnecessary type check
- superfluous semicolon
- indirect access to static member
The 2 latters can be enabled by adding following 2 lines to pref_store.ini:
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.superfluousSemicolon=warning
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.indirectStaticAccess=warning

Against 20030107

org.eclipse.jdt.core (HEAD)   1 warning left (was many more than that
before I starting testing it (around 90 if I remember well) <g>)
org.eclipse.jdt.ui            414 warnings
org.eclipse.jdt.launching:    4 warnings
org.eclipse.jdt.junit         16 warnings
org.eclipse.jdt.debug         97 warnings
org.eclipse.jdt.debug.ui            87 warnings

Of course, we (JDT) cannot stand bad Java code... <g>