= Varargs

[[varargs-inJava5]]
== Variable-length Argument Lists in Java 5

Java 5 (and hence AspectJ 5) allows you to specify methods that take a
variable number of arguments of a specified type. This is achieved using
an ellipsis (`...`) in the method signature as shown:

[source, java]
....
public void foo(int i, String... strings) {}
....

A method or constructor may take at most one variable length argument,
and this must always be the last declared argument in the signature.

=== Calling Methods and Constructors with variable-length arguments

A _varargs_ method may be called with zero or more arguments in the
variable argument position. For example, given the definition of `foo`
above, the following calls are all legal:

[source, java]
....
foo(5);
foo(5,"One String");
foo(7,"One String","Two Strings");
foo(3,"One String","Two Strings","Three Strings");
....

A _varargs_ parameter is treated as an array within the defining member.
So in the body of `foo` we could write for example:

[source, java]
....
public void foo(int i, String... strings) {
  String[] someStrings = strings;
  // rest of method body
}
....

One consequence of this treatment of a varargs parameter as an array is
that you can also call a varargs method with an array:

[source, java]
....
foo(7,new String[] {"One String","Two Strings"});
....

[[varargs-in-pcds]]
== Using Variable-length arguments in advice and pointcut expressions

AspectJ 5 allows variable-length arguments to be used for methods
declared within aspects, and for inter-type declared methods and
constructors, in accordance with the rules outlined in the previous
section.

AspectJ 5 also allows variable length arguments to be matched by
pointcut expressions and bound as formals in advice.

=== Matching signatures based on variable length argument types

Recall from the definition of signature patterns given in the chapter on
annotations (xref:annotations.adoc#signaturePatterns[Signature Patterns]), that `MethodPattern` and
`ConstructorPattern` are extended to allow a `varargs` pattern in the
last argument position of a method or constructor signature.

[source, text]
....
FormalsPattern :=
  '..' (',' FormalsPatternAfterDotDot)? |
  OptionalParensTypePattern (',' FormalsPattern)* |
  TypePattern '...'

FormalsPatternAfterDotDot :=
  OptionalParensTypePattern (',' FormalsPatternAfterDotDot)* |
  TypePattern '...'
....

Method and constructor patterns are used in the `call`, `execution`,
`initialization`, `preinitialization`, and `withincode` pointcut
designators. Some examples of usage follow:

`call(* org.xyz.*.*(int, String...))`::
  Matches a call join point for a call to a method defined in the
  `org.xyz` package, taking an `int` and a `String` _vararg_.
`execution(* org.xyz.*.*(Integer...))`::
  Matches an execution join point for the execution of a method defined
  in the `org.xyz` package, taking an `Integer` _vararg_.
`initialization(org.xyz.*.new((Foo || Goo)...))`::
  Matches the initialization join point for the construction of an
  object in the `org.xyz` package via a constructor taking either a
  variable number of `Foo` parameters or a variable number of `Goo`
  parameters. (This example illustrating the use of a type pattern with
  `...`).

A variable argument parameter and an array parameter are treated as
distinct signature elements, so given the method definitions:

[source, java]
....
void foo(String...);
void bar(String[]);
....

The pointcut `execution(* *.*(String...))` matches the execution join
point for `foo`, but not `bar`. The pointcut
`execution(* *.*(String[]))` matches the execution join point for `bar`
but not `foo`.

=== Exposing variable-length arguments as context in pointcuts and advice

When a varargs parameter is used within the body of a method, it has an
array type, as discussed in the introduction to this section. We follow
the same convention when binding a varargs parameter via the `args`
pointcut designator. Given a method

[source, java]
....
public void foo(int i, String... strings) {}
....

The call or execution join points for `foo` will be matched by the
pointcut `args(int,String[])`. It is not permitted to use the varargs
syntax within an args pointcut designator - so you _cannot_ write
`args(int,String...)`.

Binding of a varargs parameter in an advice statement is
straightforward:

[source, java]
....
before(int i, String[] ss) : call(* foo(int,String...)) && args(i,ss) {
  // varargs String... argument is accessible in advice body through ss
  // ...
}
....

Since you cannot use the varargs syntax in the `args` pointcut
designator, you also cannot use the varargs syntax to declare advice
parameters.

Note: the proposal in this section does not allow you to distinguish
between a join point with a signature `(int, String...)` and a join point
with a signature `(int, String[])` based _solely_ on the use of the `args`
pointcut designator. If this distinction is required, `args` can always
be coupled with `call` or `execution`.