/* * @(#)WeakReference.java 1.18 03/12/19 * * Copyright 2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved. * SUN PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms. */ package java.lang.ref; /** * Weak reference objects, which do not prevent their referents from being * made finalizable, finalized, and then reclaimed. Weak references are most * often used to implement canonicalizing mappings. * *
Suppose that the garbage collector determines at a certain point in time
* that an object is weakly
* reachable. At that time it will atomically clear all weak references to
* that object and all weak references to any other weakly-reachable objects
* from which that object is reachable through a chain of strong and soft
* references. At the same time it will declare all of the formerly
* weakly-reachable objects to be finalizable. At the same time or at some
* later time it will enqueue those newly-cleared weak references that are
* registered with reference queues.
*
* @version 1.18, 12/19/03
* @author Mark Reinhold
* @since 1.2
*/
public class WeakReference