Java's type pattern matching with instanceof combines type testing, casting, and variable declaration into a single expression. Instead of the verbose instanceof-and-cast idiom, you can write `animal instanceof Elephant elephant` to get a typed, non-null variable scoped to where the check is true. The post covers syntax basics, scoping rules, null safety, the prohibition on upcasting, and practical use cases where OOP polymorphism falls short (e.g., equals() implementations, working with third-party types). It also previews how type patterns will become more powerful when combined with sealed classes and pattern matching in switch expressions.
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