Package com.intellij.model

Interface Pointer<T>

Type Parameters:

T - type of underlying element

All Known Subinterfaces:

SmartPointerEx<E>, SmartPsiElementPointer<E>, SmartPsiFileRange

public interface Pointer<T>

Example 1

Smart pointers might be used to restore the element across different read actions.

Elements are expected to stay valid within a single read action. It's highly advised to split long read actions into several short ones, but this also means that some write action might be run in between these short read actions, which could potentially change the model of the element (reference model, PSI model, framework model or whatever model).

Example 2

Pointers might be used to avoid hard references to the element to save the memory. In this case the pointer stores minimal needed information to be able to restore the element when requested.

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
T	dereference()
boolean	equals(java.lang.Object o)
static <T> Pointer<T>	hardPointer(T value) Creates a pointer which holds strong reference to the value.
int	hashCode()

Method Detail

dereference

T dereference()

Returns:

value or null if the value was invalidated or cannot be restored

equals

boolean equals(java.lang.Object o)

Overrides:

equals in class java.lang.Object

hashCode

int hashCode()

Overrides:

hashCode in class java.lang.Object

hardPointer

static <T> Pointer<T> hardPointer(T value)

Creates a pointer which holds strong reference to the value. The pointer always dereferences into the passed value. Hard pointers should be used only for values that cannot be invalidated.