Re: Check if a final field is initialized

From:
"Daniel Dyer" <"You don't need it">
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.programmer
Date:
Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:00:06 -0000
Message-ID:
<op.tmmnegxp8kxvgr@jack.local>
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:54:02 -0000, Stefan Z Camilleri <szc001@szc001.co=
m> =

wrote:

Hi

I am creating a singleton that shall be accessed by multiple threads, =

 =

possibly simultaneously... here is my code

public class FooEngine implements FooInterface {

    private static final m_barElement;

    public static FooInterface getBarInstance() {

        synchronized (BarElement) {
            if (null == m_barElement) m_barElement = new FooEngine();
        }

        return m_barElement;
    }
}

Somehow I need to check if m_barElement is initialized... in C# I =

generally check for null, yet in Java it seems as though I have to =

explicitly initialize it to null... but this would then mean that I =

cannot assign it to an instance later.

Setting it to an instance of FooEngine at declaration is not an option=

  =

since FooEngine requires lots of other preparatory work prior to it's =

 =

being instantiated.


But it will not be instantiated until the class is loaded. Classes in =

Java aren't loaded until they are needed, so you effectively get lazy =

initialisation for free. Unless there are other static members of the =

class that are accessed before the call to getBarInstance(), the class =

won't be loaded until the point at which the getBarInstance() invocation=
  =

occurs.

Dan.

-- =

Daniel Dyer
https://watchmaker.dev.java.net - Evolutionary Algorithm Framework for J=
ava

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