Java/JAXB: Unmarshall Xml to specific subclass based on an attribute
- by Frothy
Is it possible to use JAXB to unmarshall xml to a specific Java class based on an attribute of the xml?
<shapes>
<shape type="square" points="4" square-specific-attribute="foo" />
<shape type="triangle" points="3" triangle-specific-attribute="bar" />
</shapes>
I would like to have a List of Shape objects containing a triangle and a square, each with their own shape-specific attribute. IE:
abstract class Shape {
int points;
//...etc
}
class Square extends Shape {
String square-specific-attribute;
//...etc
}
class Triangle extends Shape {
String triangle-specific-attribute;
//...etc
}
I'm currently just putting all attributes in one big "Shape" class and it's less than ideal.
I could get this to work if the shapes were properly named xml elements, but unfortunately I don't have control of the xml I'm retrieving.
Thanks!
