I need to copy an object in Java (i.e. copy the object "by value not by reference" so that the new object is not just a reference to the old). I'm weary of implementing clonable and would prefer to use a copy constructor. However, the class I need to copy has MANY member variables that need to be copied (over 100) so adding a new constructor to the class just for copying (which is only needed in a 1 part of my application) seems like a poor solution due to its enourmous length.
Is there a better solution? Should I just use clone()? Can I create a copy constructor but rather than copying all the fields over 1 by 1 can I do it reflectively? Thanks.
I basically just need to create a new object that is the same as the old one, but with a few (about 10 out of 100) fields changed (but I still need both objects..so the new one cannot be a reference to the old one). I am open to any suggestions.