reflection - Java superinterfaces runtime difference Java 8 vs Java 9

Question

I noticed a difference in the output of the following program when run with Java 8 and Java 9.

import java.lang.reflect.Method;
public class OrderingTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ServiceImpl service = new ServiceImpl();
        for (Method method : service.getClass().getMethods()) {
            for (Class<?> anInterface : method.getDeclaringClass().getInterfaces()) {
                try {
                    Method intfMethod = anInterface.getMethod(method.getName(), method.getParameterTypes());
                    System.out.println("intfMethod = " + intfMethod);
                } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) { }
            }
        }
    }
}

class ServiceImpl implements ServiceX {
    @Override
    public Foo getType() { return null; }
}

interface ServiceX extends ServiceA<Foo>, ServiceB { }
abstract class Goo { }
class Foo extends Goo { }

interface ServiceA<S> {
    S getType();
}
interface ServiceB {
    @java.lang.Deprecated
    Goo getType();
}

You can run both versions of java here: https://www.jdoodle.com/online-java-compiler/

Java 8 outputs:

intfMethod = public abstract java.lang.Object ServiceA.getType()
intfMethod = public abstract java.lang.Object ServiceA.getType()
intfMethod = public abstract java.lang.Object ServiceA.getType()

Java 9 outputs:

intfMethod = public abstract Goo ServiceB.getType()
intfMethod = public abstract Goo ServiceB.getType()
intfMethod = public abstract Goo ServiceB.getType()

But when I reorder the super-interfaces to:

interface ServiceX extends ServiceB, ServiceA<Foo> { }

Then both versions of java output:

intfMethod = public abstract Goo ServiceB.getType()
intfMethod = public abstract Goo ServiceB.getType()
intfMethod = public abstract Goo ServiceB.getType()

I was wondering what is causing it? Is there a new java feature I am not aware of?

Java 8 documentation https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se8/html/jls-8.html#jls-8.4.8

Java 9 documentation https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se9/html/jls-8.html#jls-8.4.8

question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65937177/java-superinterfaces-runtime-difference-java-8-vs-java-9

Answer 1

The difference seems to be in the implementation of getMethod API in use which is visible by the stated documentation starting Java-9 :

Within each such subset only the most specific methods are selected. Let method M be a method from a set of methods with same VM signature (return type, name, parameter types). M is most specific if there is no such method N != M from the same set, such that N is more specific than M. N is more specific than M if:

a. N is declared by a class and M is declared by an interface; or

b. N and M are both declared by classes or both by interfaces and N's declaring type is the same as or a subtype of M's declaring type (clearly, if M's and N's declaring types are the same type, then M and N are the same method).

While Java-8 follows up internally with interfaceCandidates.getFirst() (i.e. the order change matters here), the upgraded version seems to be working on the specific algorithm using res.getMostSpecific() before returning the method asked for.