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Ideally, implement Serializable only when the class is not expected to evolve frequently. One way to maintain the original serialized form, at the same time allowing the class to evolve is to use custom serialization with the help of serialPersistentFields. The static and transient fields allow you one to specify what should not be serialized whereas the serialPersistentFields field specifies what should be serialized. It also relieves the class from defining the serializable field within the class implementation, decoupling the current implementation from the logic. New fields can easily be added without breaking compatibility across releases.
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class WeaponStore implements Serializable {
int noOfWeapons = 10; // totalTotal number of weapons
}
public class GameWeapon implements Serializable {
WeaponStore ws = new WeaponStore();
private static final ObjectStreamField[] serialPersistentFields
= {new ObjectStreamField("ws", WeaponStore.class)};
private void readObject(ObjectInputStream ois) throws IOException {
try {
ObjectInputStream.GetField gf = ois.readFields();
this.ws = (WeaponStore) gf.get("ws", ws);
} catch (ClassNotFoundException e) { /* Forward callto handler */ }
}
private void writeObject(ObjectOutputStream oos) throws IOException {
ObjectOutputStream.PutField pf = oos.putFields();
pf.put("ws", ws);
oos.writeFields();
}
public String toString() {
return String.valueOf(ws);
}
}
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