• Eq: equals() method defined that doesn't override Object.equals(Object)

This class defines an equals() method, that doesn't override the normal equals(Object) method defined in the base java.lang.Object class. The class should probably define a boolean equals(Object) method. – 2013-10-13

Every method named equals must have the signature public boolean equals(Object) in order to override the equals method from java.lang.Object. So, it is considered as a bug if you create a method named equals, having

• a different number of parameters or
• a parameter of a different type

<code Java> private void equals(){

} </Code>

<code Java> public boolean equals(Object… o){

     return false;

} </Code>

<code Java> public boolean equals(Object o, int i){

     return false;

} </Code>

<code Java> public boolean equals(int i){

     return false;

} </Code>

An idea to “fix” the problem is by renaming the methods so they can be distinguished from the actual equals() method. <code Java>

private void myEquals(){

	
}

public boolean myEquals(Object o, int i){
	return false;
	
}

</Code>

FB = FindBugs, JT = JTransformer, Delta = JTransformer - FindBugs

Apache Tomcat

FindBug→Finds invocations and not the actual methods (2) and does not even follow control flow (our own test case)

JT→ Finds the actual declarations of the methods (20)