A better API for Java reflection (abstract only)
Zalia Shams, Stephen H. Edwards · 2012
Instructors often write reference tests to evaluate student programs. In Java, reference tests should be independent of submitted solutions as they are run against all student submissions. Otherwise, they may even fail to compile against some solutions. Reflection is a useful feature for writing code without compile-time dependencies, which is valuable for writing software tools that inspect code. However, educators avoid using reflection as code written using Java's Reflection API is complex, unintuitive and verbose. We present ReflectionSupport, a library that enables one to write reflection-based code in concise, simple and readable fashion. It helps educators write reference tests without compile-time dependencies of solutions and develop educational tools such as automated graders.