How can I get a method to handle the return type flexibly?

Question

I coded an abstract class implementing an abstract method called retrieve(int index). When I inherit from that class and add an implementation for that method I want to be able to return any primitive values as well as any objects. In effect the method should look like this in several child classes:
public int retrieve(int index)
for a child class handling ints, or this:
public float retrieve(int index)
for a child class handling floats, just as well as this:
public Object retrieve(int index)
for a child class handling objects.
How do I have to define the abstract method to get this behaviour?
Thx for all help, it's much appreciated!

Answer 1

Yes, agreed - return Object.
If you know you've got a class which can provide an
int and are thus expecting an int, what you can do is
provide a "retrieveInt()" method in that subclass
(which would be simply "return ((Integer)
retrieve()).intValue();") and call it via casting
(you can cast, since if you're expecting an int then
you know this class provides one, right?)
If you don't know that you've got a class
which can provide a primitive, then you won't be able
to write the code to use that primitive anyway, so
wanting to return them is barking up the wrong tree.
Er - that "explanation" may be as clear as mud ;o)Good idea, but this is how it works right now. But instead of having a retrieveInt, retrieveFloat and so on, I'd like to have one method name for all occurances.