GC question, resurrection

[Chandra Bhatt]

1- The finalize method will never be called more than once on an object. [TRUE/FALE]

2- An object once eligible for garbage collection can never become accessible from an active part of the program. [TRUE/FALSE]

If we have to choose one of them. What should we; If option 2 is false, could anybody give me an example. I think it is something called resurrection of the object in the finalize method but can't find the way to do so.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

[Henry Wong]

Originally posted by Chandra Bhatt:

If we have to choose one of them. What should we; If option 2 is false, could anybody give me an example. I think it is something called resurrection of the object in the finalize method but can't find the way to do so.

Well, it is pretty straightforward. The finalize() method can reference itself via the this reference. It just needs to assign it to something that is either globally accessable, or something that is still reachable. A quick and dirty example is...

protected void finalize() {
   SomeClass.SomeStaticVar = this;
}

Henry

[Meena R. Krishnan]

check this out:

The existence of finalization produces some interesting complications for JVMs and some interesting possibilities for Java programmers. What finalization grants to programmers is power over the life and death of objects. In short, it is possible and completely legal in Java to resurrect objects in finalizers -- to bring them back to life by making them referenced again. (One way a finalizer could accomplish this is by adding a reference to the object being finalized to a static linked list that is still "live.") Although such power may be tempting to exercise because it makes you feel important, the rule of thumb is to resist the temptation to use this power. In general, resurrecting objects in finalizers constitutes finalizer abuse.

from
Object Resurrection

[Chandra Bhatt]

Thanks Marc for example and Krishnan for pretty well description why
resurrection of object inside the finalize method is not fine option to do because it may or may not run. No guarantee!



Thanks,

[sravanthi pulukuri]

So chandra you mean to say that 2nd option was True,if so how is it possible?? because we can make object live from finalize method (thats what i read iKathy seria book ) also
Please share your thoughts on this
Thanks