posted 23 years ago
Externalization takes serialization one step further. <code>Externalizable</code> is an interface that extends <code>Serializable</code>. Classes can implement <code>Externalizable</code> interface and gain the fine-grain control over the way the object gets serialized by overriding <code>readExternal(ObjectInput in)</code> and <code>writeExternal( OjbectOutput out )</code> methods.
During serialization, if the class implements <code>Externalizable</code>, then the overridden methods are called. On the otherhand, if the class implements only <code>Serializable</code>, you'll get the plain vanilla object serialization.
Ajith
Open Group Certified Distinguished IT Architect. Open Group Certified Master IT Architect. Sun Certified Architect (SCEA).